Nigeria, Jan. 2 -- A journey that should have taken no more than fifteen minutes stretched to seventy-five. There was no accident. No rainfall. No road closure. Just a slow, grinding crawl that left enough time for reflection.and for questions that went far beyond the traffic.

My journey was from Shoreline Estate in Ikoyi to Adeola Odeku Street in Victoria Island. On a good day, this trip should take no more than fifteen minutes.

Bourdillon Road is not an ordinary street. It is a critical urban corridor, bearing responsibilities far greater than its physical form was ever designed to carry. It is the sole access to two of the most exclusive residential estates in Lagos: Banana Island and Parkview. It is also the primary approach to the ...