By Mamud Hassan
As a management strategy to improve relations with members of the public, operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, now adopt a more civil attitude in the discharge of their responsibilities. Consequently, what we now have is more of traffic correction and control with less emphasis on enforcement, except when it is extremely necessary.
This is a democratization of traffic management and control that is expected to lead to motorists voluntary compliance with traffic laws, cooperation and support for traffic officials. This civilised method is being adopted to stem the tide of incessant attacks and reduce conflicts between traffic officials and motorists. In addition, it would create conducive working environment devoid of tension, suspicion, intimidation, harassment and the ‘them against us mentality’ that usually characterized relationship between LASTMA and the public.
However, it has been observed that while some members of the public actually appreciate this new trend and readily cooperate with LASMA officials, others seem to still dwell and relate in the spirit of the not too profitable past. For instance, in the last one year, Traffic Officers have suffered several needless attacks.
Sometime ago, a LASTMA official, Olawore Nurudeen, was attacked at Ikoyi while performing his lawful duty. Similarly, Sunday Nwagi, a Traffic Officer, was assaulted by Ganiyu Isiaka, a commercial bus driver. Nwagi’s case was particularly pathetic as he was not only hit by Isiaka’s bus but was also dragged along by the bus along New Garage area of Bariga. Rasak Oyekan, another Traffic Officer was to suffer a similar fate at Pen Cinema when had his skull broken by a tricycle rider, Geoffrey Efekoma. His offence? He restrained Efekoma from picking passenger at an undesignated spot.
These reckless and incessant attacks on LASTMA operatives got to an alarming height with the assault on the Agency’s General Manager, which occurred when one David Agiri, while driving an improperly documented commercial bus against traffic at Iyana-Iba area of Lagos, nearly overran him and his Monitoring Team in a bid to escape apprehension. In the same vein, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Lagos Sector Commander Hyginus Omeje was nearly crushed to death few weeks ago at Costain as the driver of an over-loaded lorry tried to get away from the law.
Fortunately, in all the above cases, no officer’s life was lost. But the late Apapa Zonal Head of LASTMA, Suraju Bakare, was not that lucky as he was brutally murdered in December 2016 at Apapa by some lawless drivers and Okada riders. Similarly, last October, a LASTMA official, Sanmi Olusanya, was gruesomely crushed to death at National Stadium bust stop by a reckless driver while Ajila Adeyemi also paid the supreme price at Ikorodu when he was hit by a motorist. Raheed Lawal was also crushed to death on duty post at Idi-Araba close to two years while a LASTMA trooper, Toromade, also lost one of his legs while monitoring traffic along the Third Mainland Bridge. Mid last year, a newly recruited Traffic Officer, Olayemi Isiaka’s leg was crushed by a taxi driver at Ketu. He is still recuperating at the National Orthopaedic, Yaba.
Sadly, operatives of various security agencies in the state are not left out in this irrational assault on LASTMA officials. For instance, last October, a policeman, Gabriel Ojo, harassed and assaulted LASTMA officials at Alausa, Ikeja for apprehending a vehicle he boarded. Similarly, some soldiers clashed with Traffic Officers for preventing them from using BRT lane at Ikorodu Road. A LASTMA operative, Peter Owolabi, was also battered by solders at Ikorodu road for enforcing traffic laws. In the same vein, ASP Danladi Umar of FCID, Ikoyi beat up a LASTMA official, Akande Rasheed, at Ajah for apprehending a commercial bus he entered.
Over the past months, the rate of attacks on LASTMA officials has been quite frightening. It is rather ironic that it is now that LASTMA is prepared more than ever to be more civil and non combative in its operational style that its officials suffer needless pains and losses. The ultimate goal of the current administration is to use free flow of traffic to drive the state economy to attain the status of the Third Largest Economy in Africa.
Traffic laws and fines are not peculiar to our environment. They are global phenomena which are meant to achieve similar objectives. Not too long ago, top Manchester City player and three times African Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure, was fined 54,000 British Pounds for drunk driving. Hollywood and Oscar winner, Mel Gibson, was also arrested for overspeeding and fined 1,300 Pounds while his driving licence was suspended for 90 days. In London, there are some roads where drivers are most frequently apprehended for traffic offences. For instance, Chiswick High Road in Hounslow, West London, hauled in a total of 1.4 million Pounds in the last financial year as fines from traffic crime. Therefore, failures to comply with traffic laws always attract sanctions across the world.
LASTMA management is not unaware of public expectations and demand for high level professionalism and integrity from traffic officials. This explains why the Agency has been repositioned to meet contemporary needs.
The public on its part is required to treat LASTMA officials with utmost respect and civility. Being human, it should be understood that there might be a limit to what Traffic Officers could endure, especially where it concerns serious threats to life. It is, therefore, important that the public reciprocate efforts by LASTMA to build good relations with the citizenry.
Come to think of it, LASTMA officials are employed to protect the interest of all. They work, come rain come shine, to ensure free flow of human and vehicular movement in the state. The least we could do is to cooperate with them. Doing so is the only way the public could really benefit from the huge resource the state government has committed into building a virile transport sector in the state.
Hassan is Public Affairs Officer, LASTMA,
Oshodi, Lagos.