Hours after TheNewsGuru.com, TNG investigative story on the conspicuous absence of law enforcement agencies and traffic officers including the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, (LASTMA) on major roads in Lagos and the consequent gridlock experience, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olajide Oduyoye has explained why officials of the authority stayed off the road.
A two-day tour of the fifteen out of the twenty local governments in the state by TNG correspondents showed that the police, LASTMA and other agencies were conspicuously absent on the road. This development led to gridlocks on major highways with thousands of commuters stranded.
He said the attack had left unfortunate physical and psychological scars on LASTMA operational personnel.
“All the same, we are taking stock, restructuring and re-strategising and this is the reason why we have only about sixty percent of our beats at some strategic intersections/ junctions to eliminate frictions, reduce delays and ensure better flow of traffic.
“We are aware of the traffic congestion suffered by commuters as a result of many damaged traffic light junctions, absence of BRT bus operations, illegal vehicular movements and the general lack of respect for driving ethics by some. In all, the safety of every LASTMA personnel as with all Lagos resident is equally paramount,” he said.
He assured members of the public who had gone through harrowing traffic snarl that LASTMA was set to fully return to manage the road traffic, especially as the different areas become less volatile.
Oduyoye thanked all LASTMA officials for their cooperation and asked that all stakeholders should look forward to better days ahead.
The LASTMA Director of Operations, Mr. Bolaji Oreagba had earlier assured the General Manager that “We will do what we are statutorily noted for within the ambit of our terms of reference with agrarian vigour and determination that we support the State Government.”