By Daniel Oluwatobilola Popoola
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has clarified his description of traffic congestion in the state as a “lifestyle”, saying the remark was taken out of context and misinterpreted on social media.
Hamzat gave the clarification on Sunday, 27 September, 2026 in a video shared on the X account of the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Media, Wale Ajetunmobi, following reactions to his remarks at Podfest Naija 2026.
The Deputy Governor explained that he made the comment while speaking on storytelling and the creative industry, using Lagos traffic to illustrate how commuters spend time consuming podcasts and other digital content during their journeys.
Hamzat said he had described Lagos as “the city that tells its own story” before noting that traffic had become part of the daily experience of many residents.
Quoting the relevant portion of his speech, he said, “Anyone who has crossed Third Mainland Bridge at 6pm going from VI to Mainland knows that Lagos traffic is not just a problem, it is becoming our lifestyle.”
He stressed that the comment was intended to illustrate the relationship between traffic, commuters and content consumption, rather than express a position on road design or suggest that the government was comfortable with congestion.
Hamzat also questioned how his remarks were linked to criticism of the state government’s handling of traffic, particularly comments by tech entrepreneur Tayo Oviosu and former governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
He cited Oviosu’s comment that “Lagos traffic is caused by poor road design, not economic activities,” as well as Rhodes-Vivour’s statement that traffic “should not be tolerated as a lifestyle” and was “a major drain on productivity.”
Reacting to the interpretation of his remarks, Hamzat said, “That’s what I said. Now, how people correlate that to say design is incredible. Really incredible.”
He also criticised the way statements are interpreted on social media, saying, “So it seems to me that when people go on social media, they don’t read what people say. And that’s the problem.”
Hamzat said he decided to publicly explain his remarks to ensure that the context in which they were made was properly understood.
Meanwhile, the Director of the New Media Directorate of the joint PBAT-KOH Lagos State Campaign Council, Olusesan Daini, also defended the Deputy Governor, saying his comments had been taken out of context.
In a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, 27 September, 2027, Daini said Hamzat’s remarks were neither a celebration of traffic congestion nor an indication that the Lagos State Government was comfortable with the inconvenience faced by residents.
He said the Deputy Governor was explaining how traffic had shaped the daily routines of Lagos residents and influenced the way they consume information and conduct business.
“Recognising that traffic has become part of daily life is not the same as accepting it as the ideal. It is simply acknowledging the realities of a rapidly growing megacity while working continuously to improve mobility,” Daini said.
Daini also pointed to the state government’s transport initiatives, including rail and water transportation, road construction, junction improvements, intelligent traffic management systems and the deployment of LASTMA personnel.
He argued that criticisms of Hamzat’s remarks had focused on an isolated phrase rather than the substance of his speech.
“Those seeking to portray the Deputy Governor’s comments as insensitive have relied on an isolated phrase instead of the substance of his remarks. Public discourse is best served when statements are presented in their full context rather than through selective excerpts,” he said.
Hamzat’s original remarks at Podfest Naija 2026, where he discussed storytelling and the creative industry, had generated reactions on social media, with some users criticising his description of traffic as a lifestyle and others questioning the state government’s approach to congestion.
