- Title: NIGERIA: Lagos' mysterious tweeter helps motorists avoid traffic
- Date: 5th April 2013
- Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC IN LAGOS VARIOUS OF PEDESTRIANS LAGOS, NIGERIA (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PASSENGER TRAIN/PEOPLE SEATED ON ROOF LAGOS, NIGERIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) KAPTIN IDOKO, ONLINE SOCIAL WORKER, WORKING ON HIS IPAD VARIOUS OF IPAD AND PHONE SCREENS TWITTER PAGE OF GIDI_TRAFFIC (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAPTIN IDOKO, ONLINE SOCIAL WORKER, SAYING: "I set it up to help people basically because I knew, I personally do not like traffic and I loath traffic a lot and I get teased by my siblings sometimes that, I mean I could go round Lagos just to avoid one spot of course due to traffic, it's same with everybody, most people do not like traffic except you're talking about the hawkers who actually pray for traffic, so I knew if I set up a service like this, it would help a lot of people to you know, I didn't know it would get to this magnitude, the magnitude which it's got to now. I just wanted to set up a service that would help people." CAR DRIVING OUT OF A STREET IN LAGOS SCREEN SHOT OF MOBILE PHONE OMOLARA BANJO, LAGOS RESIDENT AND HER BROTHER DRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) OMOLARA BANJO, SAYING: "See traffic situation from gidi, so I think we should just take through Agege (local suburb) our other route." SIDE VIEW OF CAR WITH OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD WRIST WATCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) OMOLARA BANJO, SAYING: "Its 7:40, I think by eight o'clock, we should get to Ikeja (suburb in Lagos), so that's not a bad one anyway. Abeokuta express road, slow from before cement Mangoro to Ikeja along, so I'm sure it's going to be really tight." CARS STUCK IN TRAFFIC (SOUNDBITE) (English) OMOLARA BANJO, LAGOS RESIDENT, SAYING: "Anything that has to do with traffic in Lagos, you cannot just but like it because traffic situations for an average Lagosian is like a survival kit, so for me that I'm almost on the road every time, it's just something for me that I have to join so I joined and I followed immediately and since then there has never been a dull moment." VARIOUS OF WINIFRED IFODE, LAGOS RESIDENT, STANDING AT A BUS STOP SCROLLING THROUGH HER PHONE PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) IFODE WINIFRED, STUDENT, SAYING: "If I have to go out or I need to make an inquiry, you know I just basically see what's happening because he has become very .... what's the word, it's not just about traffic, it's other things you know, news, information, jobs, travel so basically almost everyday." VARIOUS SCREENS OF AN IPAD AND PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAPTIN IDOKO, ON-LINE SOCIAL WORKER, SAYING: "I would like to stay at the background just to make sure people concentrate on the service and I also concentrate on the service and keep it going and so far it's been pretty good, the service has been helping people they won't know who's behind it, but my person cannot help as much as the service would and I would rather promote the service first than promote myself." CARS IN TRAFFIC POLICEMAN WALKING NEAR MINI BUS TAXIS CARS DRIVING PAST
- Embargoed: 20th April 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Technology
- Reuters ID: LVA60QVK3KK7XPTVGYCQ0VWIONTP
- Story Text: Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub is infamous for its endless traffic jams that stretch out for miles and usually last for several hours.
The city is home to over 14 million people and with its population increasing by the day, the congestion gets worse.
Although new buses have been introduced and there are plans for mass transit rail links between the business district and the most populous neighbourhoods, the country's infrastructure still remains woefully inadequate.
In a bid to improve things, Kaptin Idoko started the twitter handle @Gidi_traffic in 2011 to give motorists real time traffic updates on where to go and what to avoid on the roads.
Kaptin Idoko is not the online social worker's real name, he prefers to keep his identity secret for now.
He says the response has been huge as residents turn to his twitter handle daily to beat traffic jams.
"I set it up to help people basically because I knew, I personally do not like traffic and I loath traffic a lot and I get teased by my siblings sometimes that, I mean I could go round Lagos just to avoid one spot of course due to traffic. It's same with everybody, most people do not like traffic except you're talking about the hawkers who actually pray for traffic, so I knew if I set up a service like this, it would help a lot of people to you know, I didn't know it would get to this magnitude, the magnitude which it's got to now. I just wanted to set up a service that would help people," said Idoko.
Gidi traffic has about 54,000 followers.
Residents like Omolara Banjo, say Gidi traffic helps her save on money, fuel and time especially during rush hour.
Every morning she checks for traffic updates as her brother drives her to work.
"See traffic situation from Gidi, so I think we should just take through Agege (local suburb) our other route... Its 7:40, I think by eight o'clock, we should get to Ikeja (suburb in Lagos), so that's not a bad one anyway. Abeokuta express road, slow from before cement Mangoro to Ikeja along, so I'm sure it's going to be really tight," she instructs.
Information on traffic is contributed by followers and updated on Gidi traffic.
"Anything that has to do with traffic in Lagos, you cannot just but like it because traffic situations for an average Lagosian is like a survival kit, so for me that I'm almost on the road every time, it's just something for me that I have to join so I joined and I followed immediately and since then there has never been a dull moment," said Banjo.
Winifred Ifode, a student in Lagos is another resident who checks out @Gidi_traffic every day.
Ifode says she is able to receive not only traffic updates but other important information.
"If I have to go out or I need to make an inquiry, you know I just basically see what's happening because he has become very .. what's the word, it's not just about traffic, it's other things you know, news, information, jobs, travel so basically almost everyday," said Ifode.
Gidi traffic is also getting noticed by cooperates and has already sealed a deal with Nokia, who developed an application for the twitter handle. Kaptin Idoko is also discussing partnership deals with other major companies in Lagos.
He says he gets only three hours of sleep daily leaving many followers amazed at how he is able to respond to tweets so regularly.
But Kaptin Idoko says he is not ready to take any credit for his work just yet.
"I would like to stay at the background just to make sure people concentrate on the service and I also concentrate on the service and keep it going and so far it's been pretty good, the service has been helping people they won't know who's behind it, but my person cannot help as much as the service would and I would rather promote the service first than promote myself," he said.
Kaptain Idoko says, innovation does not have to start when you run a big company and that you can make a difference wherever you live.
In the meantime, Sub-Saharan Africa's largest city is on a drive to modernize the city that will see it become one of the world's top 10 in a few years. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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