Public transport minibuses painted in bright yellow barricade the roads in search of passengers and causing traffic gridlock in Lagos, Nigeria, on May 10. PHOTO: PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/GETTY
Idris Anjorin believes his life changed in 2009 when he turned up for work — late as usual — distracted and stressed after more than three hours stuck in Lagos traffic.
“I wasn’t happy I came late again. A coworker who noticed my mood advised me to try a boat ride,” the retired banker told AFP.
“The next day, I arrived at Bayeku jetty at 6:00 am and within an hour I had made it to the office. That was a turning point in my life.”
Bayeku is one of several ferry terminals run by private boat operators in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) by road to Anjorin’s old office on Victoria Island.
Making a 20-minute boat trip across the lagoon seems an obvious way to avoid the monster traffic jams for which Nigeria’s biggest city and commercial hub is famous.
Lagos looks to the water to beat traffic gridlock
