Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has described the city’s perennial traffic congestion as part of the Lagos lifestyle, arguing that the long hours residents spend commuting have unexpectedly helped create an audience for podcasts and other forms of digital content.
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Hamzat spoke at PodFest Naija 2026, a gathering of podcasters, storytellers, creatives, entrepreneurs and other industry players in Lagos, where he reflected on the relationship between the city’s distinctive character and its growing creative economy.
“Anyone who has crossed Third Mainland Bridge at 6pm knows that Lagos traffic is not the problem, it is just a lifestyle,” Hamzat said.
According to him, traffic has become an unlikely supporter of the podcast industry because many Lagos residents listen to programmes while spending extended periods travelling between different parts of the city.
He joked that some of the content produced by podcasters at the event was probably consumed “episode by episode” between Ojota and Obalende, adding that traffic had, in that sense, become a patron of the creative industry.
“So in a way, traffic has been a patron of your industry. So you must celebrate traffic. That’s why we are Lagos,” he said.
Hamzat said Lagos’ crowds, noise, movement and apparently chaotic character had over the years provided material and inspiration for writers, filmmakers, musicians and other artists.
He said the city was also increasingly taking control of its own narrative through the work of its creative community.
“Lagos is now telling its own story,” he said, identifying podcasters, filmmakers, musicians, writers, designers, developers and entrepreneurs as part of a generation turning local stories into content consumed around the world.
The deputy governor also urged creatives to move beyond attracting large audiences and build sustainable commercial structures around their work.
According to him, popularity alone does not make creative work financially sustainable, and creators must develop business models capable of converting audiences into viable enterprises.
“A podcast with a million listeners and no business model is just a hobby with good microphone,” he said.
Hamzat said the Lagos State Government was supporting innovation and creative development through funding for ideas and research, stating that the state was backing not fewer than 90 research and development projects.
“So we’re funding ideas, not just applauding them,” he said, adding that the era in which potentially valuable ideas lacked access to funding should be addressed through deliberate investment.
He also linked creativity with security and personal liberty, arguing that people are more likely to produce, innovate and tell their stories where they feel safe.
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