The traffic lock down that affected some parts of Lagos, Nigeria on April 2, 2025 was largely avoidable in my opinion.
The public sensitisation about the critical 6-month project was rather poor. How come the news article of the project went viral on the day the bridge was closed, and not two weeks ago.
Some argued that even if they were informed, they wouldn’t encourage a work from home for their teams, because they feel remote work can move effective in this neck of the woods because employees are indisciplined.
Remote work is the last on the list of remedial strategies for a project of this scale. The debate of remote work is not accurate when you attack healthy organs for operating faulty systems.
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I am a Team Whisperer and I believe that if the systems are strong, the structure will work. Those working remotely for companies abroad are not complaining. Let’s fix the system and stop bashing the structure (teams). From the disaster that happened on the roads, clearly the project lacked stakeholder engagement. All the parties involved and affected by this project were not fully RACI – Responsible, Accountable, Consulted or Informed.
Stakeholder Engagement is not entirely the client’s job, it is the contractor’s job as well. Let me explain. The client (consists of two entities- the customer who cuts the cheque, which in this case is the Federal Government, then the consumer who is the end user of the product or service, which in this case is the motorists.
The contractor is not only responsible for the craft of the business, but the business of the craft as well. The contractor should engage a Business Analyst (BA) who will take the heavy lifting of everything strategy.
The BA will be the middle man between the core engineers and the other civilians in the stakeholder bucket. The URP (Urban and Regional Planning) representative, who maps out the affected area, maps out or creates multiple alternative mitigation routes.
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The media and communication department that will ensure viral publicity ahead of project commencement. The consumer representatives (employers and business leaders), who will discuss and agree of effective and practicable measures to weather the 6-month project. The Law Enforcement department, responsible for maintaining order.
For example, if they get information that some people want to protest, how come they are effective at rolling out their armoured tanks and water canons? There are many other stakeholders involved, but I’m not paid to articulate everything.
My point is, let’s find solutions to problems and stop attacking ourselves. Education is the key.
Onamusi, an analyst, writes from Lagos
