One of Stephen's favorite icebreakers is the "roads vs electricity" question: which is more important for a developing society? From my observation, it takes most people less than two seconds to form an opinion, usually influenced by where they grew up.

For me, the answer is clearly electricity. Growing up on the outskirts of Lagos, electricity was a high priority. Generators were rare, and solar panels were virtually nonexistent. We relied solely on NEPA for power. In contrast, we built our own roads and could buy water just a couple of streets away. I'd have to think hard to consider any other answer.

But, as it turns out, electricity is the wrong answer. When you think about it more deeply, roads were the foundation of civilization long before electricity existed. Roads enabled trade, war, the expansion of empires, and even escape from threats like Genghis Khan. They’ve been both a blessing and a curse, but undeniably essential to our survival and dominance as a species.

So, why am I writing about roads? I love pondering how things used to be and how the past can inform the future—looking back to move forward. It might sound counterintuitive, but I enjoy it. I spend a lot of time on Google Maps' Street View, which is a great way to see how much development has occurred in an area over time.

Lagos is a paradox when viewed this way. There’s as much development as there is decay. And what better way to illustrate this than by looking at roads? We keep piling commercial development onto poor infrastructure. More people use poorly constructed roads and inadequately designed road networks that haven't kept pace with the growing population. This leads to broken roads, chaotic traffic, and pedestrians risking their lives just to get lunch.

So, what can be done? I wish I could offer a solution that makes commercial sense for private investment, but there isn't one. We’ll need to keep cycling through politicians until we find one who takes infrastructure development seriously. Maybe a group of dedicated urban planners could create an open-source framework for local governments to adapt. Mark Essien also suggested something a while back.

Anyway, now I’ve shared my concerns with you, and I feel a lot better. Thanks for reading. Bye.