LASTMA officials on duty

The newly appointed chairman of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Chris Olapke, on Monday read the riot act to officers of the agency as well as motorists saying he would publicly disgrace any erring officers caught sabotaging the effort of the state to rid its roads of gridlocks.

To motorists, especially commercial bus drivers, Olakpe said his new position meant that he would take a do-or-die approach to fighting their excesses.

He said while he would reward effective LASTMA officers, he would make erring members frog-jump in public when they are caught showing acts of indolence.

Apart from this, officers caught in acts of corruption would be sacked, Olakpe, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, told lawmakers of the state House of Assembly, who screened and confirmed him for appointment. “Once you are dismissed, your name will be published,” he said.

He said where such officers are not sacked; they could be demoted to serve as deterrent to others in the agency.

While answering questions by the lawmakers, he said he was giving himself just three months to tackle the perennial traffic jams in the state. “We will fight danfo (commercial) drivers to submission. Traffic fighting in Lagos is a do-or-die affair and I am going to give it the last of my blood. Our men will be visible, accessible and anyone who flouts the law would be chased and arrested,” he warned adding that the agency would make effective use of the 50 motorcycles in its care to implement the law.

He further warned that he would not take it lightly with any pleading or political interference in his duties. “There is going to be strict compliance with the law. Enforcement will bite and bite very hard. I will be an enemy to Lagosians because if I don’t become an enemy, I won’t work well. I have also told my family members not to call me and that they must obey traffic law,” he told the lawmakers pleading with them not to allow their constituents use them to thwart government effort to rid the state of gridlocks.

He further said as a former senior police officer, he was sending a message to bad boys and robbers who engage in attacking residents during gridlocks saying he would meet with top security agencies in the state to put an end to their activities.

He called for suggestions on how to curb corruption in the agency urging the public not to keep quiet where officers of the agency are seen in such acts.

He however lamented that the agency was short-staffed as according to him, LASTMA has less than 2,100 staff.

While urging members of the public to cooperate with LASTMA officials, he said he was in the process of establishing the LASTMA community relations committee to embody, stakeholders in the transport industry so as to reduce the apathy between the people and the agency. He said to augment the limited number of officers of the agency, there would traffic mayors. “We shall liaise with the executive for their welfare. We call on government to really fund and assist the agency so that we begin to have “the people’s LASTMA,” he said while appealing that Lagos roads, some of which have collapsed should be fixed to ease traffic jams.

“Most roads are very bad,” he said adding that he would soon meet with local government chairmen to fix roads in their domains. He also suggested the creation of bus stops where commercial drivers could pick passengers saying with this, the drivers would have no excuse to beat the traffic law.

-@selemele2