Over this period of electioneering I have been watching with keen interest and listening attentively to everything being said by contestants for the various political offices, especially in Lagos, and I am wondering how all these promises are going to be fulfilled. Are we just being told what we want to hear or are we being told what is realistic, achievable, obtainable and sustainable even in the nearest future?
One of the promises that really got me thinking is that of turning Lagos into a tourist city, and I ask myself one big question: how? For me, Lagos is already over-populated. If we turn this small Lagos to a tourist city, how are we going to move about from point A to point B? It is already an impossible task. A city where you spend longer hours to get to the Island from the mainland, sometimes even longer than someone going to the United Kingdom! So how will these tourists move from one location to another, or are we expecting them to spend a whole day on the road? My greatest fear isn’t even the traffic. What about being robbed or killed for things as little as your phone or an empty wallet now that, luckily, we have gone cashless?
But one concern for me is not the bogus promises but the outlined strategies to achieve these unrealistic dreams. If I ever have a chance to interview our future leaders, my main question would be: what strategies or plans have you put in place to achieve all these beautiful promises you have made in your campaigns? For me, we still lack the basic amenities as majority of our people are hungry and still desire the lowest level of needs according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. There is no food, no clean water, no good roads, no quality and affordable healthcare, no good homes to sleep and rest (I mean, sound sleep with no fear of being robbed or bombed). There is no guaranteed security and safety such that I can walk alone on the poorest street of Lagos at 8pm without fear of being mobbed. No, we live in an environment where we are scared of the next man walking down the road because we do not feel fully covered and protected; we are not sure that someone has got our back.
The issue is that because most people are hungry and can’t afford three square meals a day, promising to provide food in schools sounds like one of the best things that has happened to them. It may be quite interesting, but staring isn’t the point, but can it be sustained? And this is at a time when in the developed world, they are looking at going green, reducing noise and air pollution, providing free health care, and salaries for the unemployed and the aged. I keep wondering when we will get there. Could this still happen in our lifetime?
I will like to suggest that the future leaders critically analyze exactly where we are in the hierarchy of needs and find out what the people really need at every point in time. They should tell us what we know they can do. They can start with providing us with good roads where there will be no single pothole, like we have in Abuja. Then follow housing, clean potable water in every home for us to drink and shower with, 24-hour electricity to keep us refreshed and relaxed after work and also reduce the noise pollution from the generators, good and affordable food for people to eat, and 24-hour guaranteed security. These, for me, are our basic problems.
On the other hand, if our leaders still see the need to transform Lagos into a tourist city, I will suggest that they put some basic things in place. For instance, we cannot continue to rely almost entirely on only one mode of transportation. What to do is to branch off into other means of transportation – speed trains, waterways, cables, and, in the nearest future, underground trains. If we have other means of transportation, it will be very easy for people to move from point A to point B without spending all day on the road. With that, people can plan their schedule and time properly as they can easily determine the travel time from mainland to Island without unforeseen conditions.
Secondly, the tourists will definitely need electricity to power their phones, watch TV programmes and enjoy their stay. They must be fully assured that there is utmost and full security everywhere in the city for them to stroll at night without the fear of being molested. They will need fresh food and clean water also. If these things are put in place, I strongly believe they will attract the right kind of tourists even without us announcing it.
Indeed, I dream of a Lagos where I will come home at any time and turn on the switches and there will be light; go to the tap and the water will be clean enough to drink from; walk into any store and even the markets and be able to buy fresh milk that I can consume immediately; walk on any street at any given time and feel fully secured and safe, with no fear of molestation or assault. I dream of a city where we will all live as one, each one being his brother or sister’s keeper; a Lagos where I can have a sound sleep without being interrupted by generator noise or power failure; a city where I can commute from the mainland to the Island and know it will only take me 15 minutes; a city where I will get a phone call back to let me know my wallet or phone has been found. This is my idea and dream of a beautiful Lagos, and I hope this dream becomes a reality sooner than I can imagine. So help us God!
LINDA OCHUGBUA
