Popular Nigerian activist and actor Mr. Macaroni has taken a strong stance against the Lagos State Government, publicly condemning its handling of the severe traffic gridlock that crippled the city on April 2, 2025, after the sudden closure of the Independence Bridge on Victoria Island.
The traffic chaos, which left thousands of commuters stranded for hours, drew widespread anger and frustration. On April 3, 2025, the comedian expressed his outrage on social media platform X, criticizing the government for its poor planning and lack of concern for the well-being of Lagos residents.
He pointed out that such abrupt decisions should not be made without adequate coordination or communication, highlighting the government’s failure to consider the people’s daily struggles.
Mr. Macaroni’s anger was further fueled by a statement made by the Lagos State Minister of Works, who claimed to be unaware of the bridge closure. “The Minister of Works said he wasn’t aware of the closure of the bridge. This is the embarrassing level of incompetence that you find some Nigerians defending,” Mr. Macaroni tweeted, clearly upset by the lack of accountability.
His post revealed his deep frustration with the administration’s apparent disregard for the consequences of its actions on ordinary citizens. “It is bizarre that the people always have to suffer the consequences of terrible governance. This is frustrating!!!” he exclaimed, urging others to acknowledge the severity of the situation and the failures of the leadership.
In his criticism, the activist emphasized that the hardships faced by Lagosians could have been easily avoided if the government had genuinely prioritized public welfare. He argued that proper planning and timely communication could have alleviated the stress caused by the sudden closure.
“If the government had any regard whatsoever for the people of Lagos, these measures and more extensive ones would have been taken before yesterday to make this process as painless as possible for the people,” he said.
Mr. Macaroni insisted that adequate planning should have included setting a reasonable timeline for the closure and ensuring that people were informed well in advance. Such steps would have reduced the suffering and prevented the situation from escalating into a major crisis.
The actor and activist also took the opportunity to lambast the administration for its consistent failure to meet the basic needs of the public.
“There should have been adequate planning including a reasonable timeline for execution and proper information dissemination, which would have prevented to some extent the unbearable hardship the people have to endure,” Mr. Macaroni stated, pointing to the fundamental lack of governance that many Nigerians have become accustomed to.
He argued that the absence of such essential processes was a clear indication of the government’s disregard for the lives of its citizens, which is all too common in the country.
Mr. Macaroni concluded his remarks by questioning the leadership capabilities of both the federal and state governments. He noted that the inability of these two levels of government to effectively collaborate on such crucial infrastructure projects—despite belonging to the same political party—further demonstrated the poor quality of leadership in Nigeria.
“This has happened only because this Government has no sense of responsibility to the people!” he declared, pointing out that the situation exposed the lack of competence at the top.
“If the federal and state government cannot successfully collaborate on projects like these despite belonging to the same party, then it only confirms what we have always known about the quality of leadership.”
