Re: I love Fashola (not necessary), but here’s why Lagosians cannot have a horn free day

I have read a lot of opinions on a variety of issues that provoked intellectual debates in the Business Day Newspaper but I have never written concerning any of them before. However, I am constrained to respond to the subject article published on page 16 of the Business Day Newspaper on Monday October 20, 2014. This is due to the research nature of some of the issues raised by the writer and their implications for academic and public opinions.

I suspect that the writer had submitted his article prior to the October 15 2014 horn-free day because as it seems, his predictions and logics are far from what many people had experienced and agreed upon in relation to the outcome of the horn-free day in Lagos that day.

Of all the references and submissions of the writer, there is just one key take-away; it is not possible to have a completely horn-free experience, which is absolutely true. However, I do not think a completely horn-free society is what the Lagos State Government was trying to achieve. As we all know, it is impossible to have a society (anywhere) completely free of a menace of any kind including indiscriminate honking in particular or reckless driving in general. It can be reduced to a minimal level but it is almost impossible to eradicate indiscriminate honking and again, I do not think that was what the government or the people intended to achieve on that day.

So I think the writer’s argument was both extremely linear; that is, focusing more on why the change was impossible, and equally irrelevant; based on a wrong perception of the initiative. It was also supported by perhaps obsolete studies conducted in entirely different societies and generations. The youngest of those studies referred to was conducted in 1973 (before I was born) while some others dated back to 1912 (over a century ago). It was also difficult locating copies of those studies because they were not properly cited.

Without conducting any research, we all know that nowadays (I don’t know about 1912-1973) you could drive anywhere in America or UK for several minutes or perhaps some hours without hearing a single honk. It doesn’t mean people don’t honk at all and this is what the Lagos State Government (not Fashola) is trying to achieve. It has little or nothing to do with Fashola himself or the love/hate anyone has for this individual. In order to keep issues within context, I prefer to remove any element of personal or individual identity. The primary credit for that initiative may not even be for Fashola though he is the governor.

As to what eventually happened on Wednesday Oct. 15, 2014; I can only hope that  the writer as well as the Editors of the Business Day Newspaper had witnessed on that day conducts of drivers in specific parts of Lagos like Ikeja , Ikorodu Road, V.I, Alausa et cetera.

In my opinion, people in most parts of those areas mentioned did really and truly observe the horn-free day and this is why I think the writer was wrong and the publishers of Business Day should not have featured his prediction post the outcome of the October 15, 2014 horn-free day.

I stand to be corrected but I firmly believe that the government was only advocating for a society that is far less noisy through the reduction of unnecessary honking which accounts for a major part of the noise pollution in our environment. The government didn’t intend to eradicate honking and as all of those old studies referred to by the writer have shown, no one can eradicate honking.

By the way, from the October 15, 2014 horn-free day initiative, I observed a very interesting behavioral implication of striving to reduce honking. On Ikorodu Road and Ikeja areas, I noticed a more patient set of public and private drivers. Drivers were more patient as they resisted the urge to honk. This is a very positive fall out of the initiative which should now make it clear to us that we can achieve better and even more results than was intended.

This is an interesting area of study where I think the writer or whoever wants could strive to use data for useful analysis that may guide public policy; but I strongly think his views did not consider some other important parts of the issue which I have only tried to raise. This is to enable other readers become more informed and willing to co-operate with government in making happen the desired positive change for the good of all.

OLUGBENRO OYEKAN