#myroadisworsethanyours

The dismal state of Nigeria's roads is a constant source of exasperation for the long-suffering population but a tongue-in-cheek campaign on social media is trying to shame the authorities into action.

Posting under the hashtag #MyRoadIsWorseThanYours, Nigerians have been sharing examples of the country's worst highways.

Bomb crater-sized potholes, roads resembling muddy rivers in the annual rainy season and some unrecognisable even as public thoroughfares have been posted online.

"Here's one Lagos road (state governor Babatunde) Fashola needs to repair fast," says one tweet, with a picture of a motorcyclist navigating a flooded road, with water nearly up to his saddle.

The tweets have an underlying seriousness: when Africa's leading economy and oil producer claims to have pumped 1.4 trillion naira ($8.5 billion, 6.75 billion euros) into infrastructure improvements since 1999, why are the roads so bad?

They have also helped balance out the pages of self-congratulatory newspaper advertisements taken out by state governments, proudly displaying the smooth tarmac of upgraded, traffic-free roads.

- Deaths, strikes, responsibility -

Olanrewaju Adenekan is a clearing agent at Lagos' main port of Apapa. He is 51 but looks two decades older and is in poor health. Both he and his doctor blame it on his daily commute.

Adenakan leaves his house in Sango-Ota, north of Lagos, before 4:30 am every day to reach Apapa at around 9:00 am. The distance door-to-door is just 37 kilometres (23 miles).

"The traffic situation is bad. I spend between four and five hours for a journey that should take less than one hour," he told AFP.

Adenekan owns two cars but prefers to take public transport because it is cheaper -- and also because the badly maintained roads take a debilitating toll on his vehicles.

"Nigerians spend a lot of money on maintaining their vehicles because of potholes, which damage tyres, wheel rims, shock absorbers and other components," said quantity surveyor Alani Amusa.

Time spent in traffic jams is also dead time, robbing businesses of productivity and effective workers. When they eventually arrive, they are often exhausted.

Motorists stuck for hours in jams are sitting ducks for armed robbers.

Join the movement today upload the present situation of your road using the harshtag #myroadisworsethanyours till it gets attention. 

#myroadisworsethanyours