Have you ever wondered what the inventor had in mind when he invented the traffic light? It really beats my imagination why, despite the increasing number of the traffic lights in Lagos, the occurrence of hold-ups seems to be on the increase. Cries of “Hey! You’ve bashed my car,” keeps increasing yearly, too. Why is it that Nigerians do not obey the simple instructions concerning traffic lights and road usage? These are the questions I find myself asking rhetorically each time I come across a traffic light in Lagos and witness its flagrant abuse by road users. It has become the norm to practice ‘racing like rats’ to beat the red light. Every body seems to be in a hurry and can’t be bothered about the rules and regulations of traffic lights; thus instead of enhancing the smooth flow of traffic, traffic lights now seem to be mere road decorations. At the Maryland roundabout the other day, just before the light turned green, the drivers behind the cab I was in started what seemed to me to be a competition. The aim must have been to find out which car had the loudest horn. This assault of noise from their car horns to our ears was accompanied by the familiar Lagos exchange of “You are crazy! You are mad!” The way different drivers freely abused one another made it sound like they were exchanging compliments of good will. This experience, more than ever before, left me convinced that it is highly important and a matter of urgency that Lagos drivers get an orientation on the uses of the traffic light and traffic regulations. It certainly will be beneficial if they also get re-orientated on the use of good language.

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