Lagos State is presently experiencing such phenomenal population explosion that it is being projected to be the third largest megacity in the world. Many are of the view that despite the 10 million figure declared by the National Population Commission (NPC) in the last census exercise (2006), the city’s best possible population is 40 million. Whereas the annual population growth in the developing world is three per cent and Nigeria’s is 2.7 per cent, that of Lagos stands at a stunning eight per cent and is likely to accelerate. The state’s landmass is rather small by Nigerian standard (Kano State which officially has about the same population is about four times in landmass). As if to aggravate the situation, a considerable part of the metropolis is covered by water, a situation that complicates its infrastructural needs.
The Lagos transformation project requires an enormous financial force to build and upgrade infrastructure in the state in the next 15 years far beyond the capacity of the state government. This, then, is the significance of the call for the state to be accorded a special status by the federal government. Lagos, with over 138,000 workers (representing various ethnic groups) in its employment, apart from the federal government, remains the greatest employer of labour in the country. Ironically, many of the states in the country with less population and infrastructural needs receive same monthly federal allocation as Lagos.
The special position of Lagos as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, and indeed West Africa, has its peculiar infrastructural challenges. Its sheer human density driven by an increasing population due to endless survival and economic-driven immigration, its ports and waterways, its border with Benin Republic, its high concentration of banks, industries, companies, and other commercial enterprises makes it a very complex state to govern. Being the pane through which the whole world views the country, granting a special status to Lagos remains the best possible way to drive Nigeria’s development, as Lagos is the country’s most industrialised city with needs that align with its growth.
No nation grows by treating the needs of its golden geese with discomfiture since the future growth of the country’s economy is tied to the development of Lagos which hosts over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s industrial hub, over 65 per cent of its financial nucleus and over 75 per cent of its active workforce. With each day, the population and needs of Lagos continue to increase to reflect this important role. As the economic capital of Nigeria, Lagos has been the first port of call for eager millions of youths from all parts of the country who long for means of survival from the uncertainties of a struggling economy like ours.
Presently, it is obvious that the monthly allocation it receives from the Federation Account as well as its internally-generated revenue (IGR) is not enough to meet the developmental needs of the state. Regrettably, the federal government’s inability to discharge its infrastructural responsibilities to Lagos, over the years, has further worsened the situation. The National Assembly Complex at Tafawa Balewa Square, the National Stadium in Surulere, the Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi and the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, to mention just a few, lend credence to this.
When the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was moved from Lagos to Abuja, there was a subsisting agreement that the city would not be abandoned. Indeed, the late General Murtala Mohammed acknowledged the onerous nature of the responsibility of leaving Lagos alone to deal with the burden of infrastructure the FG was leaving behind then, bearing in mind that if Lagos hadn’t been the federal capital, it probably would not have been having these problems. In fact, five cities – Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kaduna and Lagos – were later designated as ‘Centres of Excellence’ by the Mohammed administration as part of a plan to make them cities of pride by the federal government.
However, successive federal governments have refused to take a cue from countries which relocated their national capitals without abandoning development of the former capitals. It is now time for Nigeria to imitate Germany, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia and Tanzania, which, after relocating their capitals, did not hold back developmental programmes targeted at the former capitals. From 1954 to 1994, the capital of Germany was Bonn. It was moved to Berlin, following the endorsement of the ‘agreement of movement’ which spelt out the responsibilities of German government for the maintenance of the old capital and which it has been meeting conscientiously.
Also, Brazil moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia. Till date, all federal roads, buildings and other infrastructure in both cities are maintained simultaneously by the central government. Malaysia has also maintained two capitals. Its old capital, Kuala Lampur, has been retained as the legislative capital, where the National Assembly operates. Its new capital, Putrajaya, which is the most computerised city in the world, is the administrative capital. In Australia, the old capital, Sidney, still enjoys special recognition. Although Campera is the new capital, most activities of government, international conferences, party conventions and meetings still hold in the former capital city. The former capital of Tanzania is Dar-es-Salam. When Dodoma became the new capital, the old capital did not suffer neglect. The federal government should take cue from these examples by according Lagos a deserving special status.
Lagos government, in the last 15 years, has invested a huge amount of money on infrastructural development, especially construction of drainages, durable roads, beautification and restoration of parks to forestall the negative impact of flooding, erosion and other environmental hazards. However, these efforts are not enough for obvious reasons. Today, Lagos does about 9,000 metric tonnes of refuse daily, more than what the whole of Ghana is generating. The branch networks that some banks have in Lagos outstrip what they have in the whole country. A recent study reveals that over 25,000 people from across the world move into Lagos for various reasons on a daily basis. The number of heavy duty trucks and other vehicles that ply Lagos roads on a daily basis is quite alarming. Same goes for the number of pupils in its public schools as well as those that daily visit its hospitals. Consequently, the state spends more on infrastructure upgrade and provision of other basic life necessities than any state in the country.
The need to accord a special status to Lagos is a non-political project. There is hardly any Nigerian that doesn’t have a stake in Lagos. An investment in Lagos is, therefore, a necessary blueprint for the development of the country since Lagos remains the window through which the world sees Nigeria. Any investment in Lagos is an investment in the future of Corporate Nigeria. It is an investment that protects and supports Nigeria’s capacity to earn more resources, support more businesses, expand businesses and address several other developmental challenges bedevilling the country. It is a right course. It is the right thing to do!
• Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.