Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, has rejected criticism of his description of traffic congestion in the state as a “lifestyle”, insisting the comment was selectively quoted and misrepresented on social media.
The controversy arose after Hamzat spoke at Podfest Naija 2026 on storytelling and the creative sector, where he described how commuters rely on podcasts and digital media to pass time while travelling.
In a video posted on Sunday via Wale Ajetunmobi, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Media, Hamzat explained that his remarks were intended to demonstrate how traffic influences content consumption, rather than to reflect state transport policy or road infrastructure design.
Excerpts read from his original speech showed he characterised Lagos as “the city that tells its own story” before discussing the daily experience of commuters. He quoted himself as stating, “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.”
Following online pushback and criticism from tech entrepreneur Tayo Oviosu and former governorship candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Hamzat expressed surprise at how his comments were linked to discussions on infrastructure. Oviosu had argued that traffic stems from poor road design rather than economic vibrancy, while Rhodes-Vivour stated traffic should not be tolerated as a lifestyle because it damages productivity.
Responding to the link, Hamzat said, “That’s what I said. Now, how people correlate that to say design is incredible. Really incredible.” He added, “So it seems to me that when people go on social media, they don’t read what people say. And that’s the problem.”
Supporting the deputy governor, Olusesan Daini, Director of the New Media Directorate for the joint PBAT-KOH Lagos State Campaign Council, stated on Sunday via his X account that the comments were not an endorsement of traffic or an indication of government apathy towards public inconvenience.
Daini affirmed that identifying traffic as a feature of daily life does not mean accepting it as ideal, describing it as a recognition of megacity expansion while work continues to improve mobility. He highlighted ongoing state transport interventions, including rail and water networks, road construction, junction redesigns, intelligent traffic management systems, and LASTMA deployments.
Daini stated, “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.”