Lagos State government has vowed to intensify enforcement activities on fake enforcement officials across the state.
The commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi who disclosed this in the ongoing ministerial press briefing on the strides of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration said the Ministry through its task force team would carry out sting operations in different areas of the state until all impersonators are eradicated within the metropolis.
He explained that revealing details of the enforcement operations would sabotage its effectiveness and success, as the impersonators will devise methods to elude the state government and persist in their unlawful act.
Speaking further on enforcement, Osiyemi also explained that the recently introduced Traffic Management Solution Device (TMS) has successfully captured 26,816 real time traffic infringements over the last three months, making enforcement more effective and safe for officers to carry out.
The commissioner also disclosed plans by the state government to take the transportation system to another level, through introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses by private investors, assuring that the state government’s commitment to public transportation is to promote a transport system that is integrated and give options to its citizens.
According to him, facilitating the daily transportation needs of nearly 25 million commuters within Lagos State, a series of strategic initiatives have consistently served as instruments pivotal in advancing the first pillar of the THEMES+ development agenda, noting that there will be an expansion of infrastructure within the metropolitan, with the development of deep port in Badagry and construction of 4th Mainland bridge which are expected to commence soon.
He noted that the state is also building bus terminals which are at various levels of completion as well as putting a rail system in place.
Osiyemi also disclosed that the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation Task Force have impounded over 5,000 commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada in the last two months across the metropolis.
Osiyemi, explained that the okada were impounded for flouting various traffic laws such as ban on the activities.
He also said the government had been embarking on advocacies on safety while collaborating with transport enforcement agencies in all Ogun State to bring sanity on the road.
Osiyemi, who frowned at the growing activities of fake personnel across the metropolis claiming to work for the Ministry of Transportation, MOT, released some hotlines, a 24 hour toll free to report such activities to relevant authorities.
The lines, which he said also aimed to enhance the operations of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, could also be accessed for reporting traffic situations around the metropolis as well as against erring officers.
Responding to questions, the commissioner said the Ministry, among other initiatives, is currently doing a survey to ascertain the commercial buses needed per route to manage traffic efficiently.
He revealed that about 856,680 traffic infractions were captured by the state automatic number plate recognition cameras.
While providing a list of activities and projects the ministry has executed in the last one-year, he said: “Daily monitoring routine checks through the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology for prescribed particulars violations, 53 of the ANPR Cameras are installed at different locations of the State.
“The usage of ANPR to capture other related traffic offences e.g vehicles moving against traffic. The ANPR captured 856,680 violations from January 2023 to March, 2024.”
The commissioner further said that to reduce human interface, the Traffic Management Solution (TMS) devices handled by the Vehicles Inspection Service (VIS) Officers captured 10, 421 violations between January, 2023 and March, 2024.
According to him, “with a steadfast commitment to establishing an efficient, safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation network, as well as proficiently controlling and managing traffic flow, the state has prioritized the acceleration of its multimodal transport system.
“This system integrates various modes of transportation, including Rail, Water, and Bus services, as outlined in the comprehensive Lagos State Strategic Transport Master Plan.”
Earlier, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr. Gbenga Omotosho described how important the Transportation Sector is to the economy and the wellbeing of Lagosians.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa stressed that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) is the only body backed by the Law to carry out enforcement and manage traffic within the state, saying Local Governments do not have traffic officers and they are not authorized by the law to apprehend motorists who commit traffic infractions.
Giwa also urged members of the public to avoid negotiating fines on the road with alleged enforcement officers to avoid being victims of impersonators.
Debunking the claims that fake enforcement officers apprehended last week around Cele axis worked for the Ministry of Transportation, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olawale Musa confirmed that many of them are impostors, adding that it will be an anomaly for the Ministry to arrest and publicly shame its staff.
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