I left my office on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos around quarter to  6pm  on Thursday, August 23 and, by 6pm, I was already at the base of the bridge at Iyana-Oworo. I was pleasantly surprised that we could descend the 3rd Mainland Bridge again at such a record time. When this started happening a couple of weeks back, I thought it was a fluke but it has happened over and over again. Ayo, my musician/driver, and I started analysing the new phenomenon on the 3rd Mainland Bridge traffic. We initially thought it might also be due to the fact that children were on holiday but the truth is, how many children live on the Mainland and school on the Island? It finally dawned on us that it must be this bus stop at the base of the bridge.

This definitely makes sense, with about four lanes of different categories of vehicles veering off to discharge passengers, thus leaving the road free for free flowing vehicular movement. I began to wonder why no one ever thought of it. Of course, it is common in Nigeria to refer to so many places on the road as bus stops without actually making allowances for the bus to stop.

I see a lot of pedestrian bridges springing up at Berger, Anthony Oke and Mile 12, among others. I was quite happy to see the construction for traffic diversion at Berger bus stop too. Ayo told me about the massive construction going on in Abule-Egba. This is surely an answer to my prayers. You would wonder why I prayed. Well, after we were robbed of our victory at the polls in my home state of Ekiti and the signs of impunity began to emerge, I prayed that the set back we were experiencing in Ekiti after four years of progress under FAYEMI would not befall Lagos.

After all, Lagos is my second home. I prayed earnestly that Lagos would remain under the leadership of a progressive governor having seen the gains we made starting with TINUBU and through the FASHOLA years. I must admit that I was initially put off by AMBODE when it seemed as though he wasn’t going to continue to build on the sterling legacies of his predecessors. I felt they had laid such a solid foundation for him that all he needed was to build on it. I am glad to say that he’s doing just that now.

With the street lights coming up, new and expanded bus stops, pedestrian bridges and roads , progress is for sure. With a free flow of traffic, commerce will improve in Lagos. The quality of life will improve. Our vehicles will last longer. Our environment will suffer less pollution. Thieves will find it more difficult to operate. The benefits are uncountable. The important thing is that if we all try to contribute in small ways to add value to our daily existence in our small areas of influence, life will be so much better for all of us.

The change we need starts with each one contributing what will make life easier for everyone. Life is much better lived when it embraces consideration for others. Little things make a difference. I will never forget the difference in traffic flow we experienced with that little diversion under the bridge in between Muson Centre and Nigerian Army Officers Mess in the TBS area leading to Ikoyi / Victoria Island during the time of Fashola.

Prosperity will be forever grateful to Governor AKINWUMI AMBODE if he could rid the Lagos metropolis totally of traffic. The little bus stop at Iyana-Oworo has definitely made a big difference.

Eniola Ajayi  , a medical doctor, owns an hospital in Ikoyi area of Lagos.