The decision led to hundreds of commuters and workers stranded at bus stops, with many forced to walk as commercial buses were not operating. "I left home around 5:00 am to enable me get to work. I had to use alternative routes because the main road has been blocked," Ahmed Busari, a port clearing agent, told AFP news agency.

There was also a strong security force presence on the streets.

Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode tweeted:

Femi Fani-Kayode? @realFFK

 First came the Dapchi scam.Then came the Martin Luther King award scam.And now comes the bus terminal scam in which Lagos,the largest city in Africa,is under lockdown and all roads blocked simply because Pres. Muhammadu Buhari is coming to open a BUS TERMINAL! God save Nigeria.

5:35 AM - Mar 29, 2018

Lagos Information commissioner Kehinde Bamigbetan said the roads were closed to traffic "to ensure smooth, security-free visit of the president". This is Mr Buhari's first official visit to Lagos, which has a population of about 22 million, since he took office in 2015.

Roads have been swept and painted in Nigeria's national colours of white and green, and flags of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party adorned all the routes where Mr Buhari's motorcade was set to pass through, AFP reports.

Civil servants had also been given the day off, it adds.

Apart from opening the bus terminal, Mr Buhari will also launch the construction of a $1.5bn (£1bn) deep sea port in Epe and tour the Eko Atlantic project, a new coastal city described as the "Dubai of Africa", AFP reports.