Post by FRANK OFILI (@frank-timeless9)

The Slow Unmaking of the Centre of Excellence
By Frank Ofili

Two things now define urban Lagos: refuse heaps and bad roads.
They are everywhere. They have become the city's unwanted landmarks. From the highbrow neighbourhoods to the working-class suburbs, mountains of waste compete with yawning potholes for the attention of motorists and pedestrians alike.
There is an irony that should not be lost on anyone.
Former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was denied a second term partly because he was accused of neglecting Lagos roads and allowing waste management to deteriorate. Whether those accusations were entirely fair is a matter for history. But history has a habit of asking uncomfortable questions. If Ambode's perceived failures were sufficient to deny him another term, how should today's Lagos be assessed?
The timing makes the situation even more troubling.
The state government has repeatedly warned residents about flooding. We have been told to clear our drains, dispose of refuse properly and prepare for heavy rains. Fair enough. Citizens have responsibilities. But government has responsibilities too.
Where is LAWMA? Where is the urgency expected of an agency charged with keeping Africa's largest city clean? Where is the visible intervention that should accompany the government's environmental warnings?
The same question applies to our roads. A city aspiring to remain Nigeria's economic nerve centre cannot continue to normalise roads that damage vehicles, prolong travel time and quietly erode productivity.
This is not an attack on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. It is a call for urgent action. Lagos deserves better than becoming a city where refuse and potholes are the most consistent features of the urban landscape.
The rains have arrived. Floods will follow. But many of the disasters we blame on nature are, in truth, the consequences of human neglect.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, Lagosians are asking a simple question: what exactly is happening?

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