While President Tinubu is in the UK, I hope he finds time to carry out a detailed study of the London Underground network with a view to replicating it in several Nigerian cities

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Unlike anywhere else in Nigeria, Lagos requires federal infrastructure as it accounts for one quarter of Nigeria's gross domestic product (GDP), one third of non-oil GDP, attracts about 70% of foreign direct investment (FDI) and half of all Nigeria's cars ply Lagos roads

[2] With a population of about 15m, Lagos is the largest city in the world without an urban metro. We do not seem to appreciate the fact that we are sitting on an environmental time-bomb as the status quo is unsustainable

[3] If you look at the demographics of Nigeria, about half of the country's population is crammed into urban centres. This means that cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Abuja, Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, etc bear a huge burden. Lagos shoulders this responsibility more than any other city in Nigeria

[4] When one looks at how it takes six hours to get from one end of Lagos to the other, we should be very frightened. If a man lives in Ketu and works in Victoria Island, he will spend at least 10 hours on the road every day

[5] We all cringe at the Apapa gridlock. Why the port area is not a car-free zone is totally beyond me. What we need is rail link to the port, with all cars parked at least 3km away

[6] In 2009, the Lagos State government began work on the Lagos Metroline, a 35km urban light railway project designed to ease traffic congestion in the state. It is finally up and ruining, making life easier for Lagosians but this is only scratching the surface

[7] An urban light railway project is not the solution to all our transport problems in Lagos. For starters, I cannot carry freight or containers, so it cannot assist us in resolving the Apapa gridlock issue for instance

[8] Lagos needs a proper underground network with its own power source, that makes people leave their cars at home when they go to work

[9] At the very least, Ibadan, Abuja, Kano and Maiduguri need underground networks too. I would like President Tinubu to encourage their state governors to study the London Underground in detail too

[10] Of the 12m cars in Nigeria, 6m are in Lagos and they are all using fossil fuels, destroying the environment. When this keg of gunpowder explodes in our faces, we will witness an ecological disaster of biblical proportions. We desperately need a Lagos Underground Network which will carry 5m passengers a day like its London equivalent.

Ayoakinfe@gmail.com