Driving with tears in Lagos

Today, cruising round the city of Lagos is painful. No thanks to the excesses of traffic officials in the state, who have turned the act of driving to an enterprise of. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), an agency set up by Bola Tinubu’s administration to manage traffic in the ever-busy Lagos roads is […]

Today, cruising round the city of Lagos is painful. No thanks to the excesses of traffic officials in the state, who have turned the act of driving to an enterprise of.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), an agency set up by Bola Tinubu’s administration to manage traffic in the ever-busy Lagos roads is one enigma many motorists have fingered as the cause of their travails on the roads.

Sikiru Adu, an Ibadan-businessman recalled how officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), made mess of his first visit to the centre of excellence on one fateful day.

Sikiru was also to use the day to visit some of his in-laws whom he had lost contact with for many years

He said he was stopped along Ojodu Berger in Lagos for violating traffic light which he said was not even there as the officials claimed.

“All efforts to make them understand I was a first-timer in Lagos fell on the deaf ears of these people who were stern of looking. I pleaded with them that I didn’t see an traffic light on the road but they wouldn’t listen but rather insisted that I follow them to their office. The rest is agony.”

Sikiru was a victim of circumstance he was not familiar with. But Sampson, who works in a private company in Lagos and lives all his life here and familiar with Lagos, was furious the day his car was impounded by the officials of LASTMA in Itire for driving on one-way.

He said he challenged the officials to tell him why the road he was familiar with for sometime had suddenly become one-way but they said he had to follow them to their office to pay the necessary fine and get his car released.

“My plea with these guys didn’t yield any fruit as they stuck to their guns. They were adamant and wouldn’t just spare my ignorance on how the road suddenly become one-way. I wonder why every offences to them are always punitive with fines. Where is the place for remedy or forgiveness with some of them whose aim is to collect money from unsuspecting motorists and pocket them?”

Other car owners in Lagos also recounted their various encounterers with LASTMA and said they was not  pleasant ones with these traffic officials who most times throw caution to the winds in the task which ordinarily should attract human feeling.

There are also apprehensions that the recent traffic law in the state is an opportunity for the LASTMA officials to continually exploit motorists.

The case of commercial vehicle drivers in the state is worse off as they easily fall prey to LASTMA officials.

These drivers said some of the unruly LASTMA traffic officials levy them daily guilty or not of any traffic offence. To them, the fear of LASTMA is the beginning of wisdom and many of them have come to live with this fact.

“It is better you part with some money in the different hours of the day so as not to incur their wrath. When you do that you are like being in their good book or preparing good grounds for when trouble will burst. It is better to sacrifice the devil’’, Soji Fatatade, a commercial driver, told our correspondent.

The recalcitrant ones among the drivers always meet their waterloo with the LASTMA officials who impound their vehicles.

‘I recalled a day I wanted to turn at Onigbongbo service lane enroute to Iyana Ipaja and these LASTMA officials pounced on me. Other commercial vehicle drivers turned at same spot but they didn’t see anything wrong with their action. They took me to their office on that day and I used all the money on me to pay the fine before they released my vehicle’’, a commercial vehicle operator, who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent.

Another commercial vehicle driver alleged that some of these LASTMA officials also devised a short-cut to payment of fines by defaulters. ‘If you cooperate, you will pay less to these officials but if you allow them fine you, you will pay more to the state authority’’, a commercial bus driver said.

On February this year, 24-year old bus conductor, Rasheed Alabi and his driver were chased by a unit of LASTMA along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway for driving against traffic. In an attempt to force the bus to stop, one of the officers identified as Oshodi .O pulled down the conductor off the moving bus only for him to be crushed by an oncoming vehicle.

Due to the excesses of these officials, motorists and commercial bus drivers have in recent times vented their anger against the latter’s action.

Early this month, one Yinka Johnson, a female banker with Standard IBTC bank, yesterday crushed a Lagos State  traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official, 33-year-old Hammed Balogun, to death along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway, Lagos State.

She was said to have been intercepted by three officials of LASTMA led by the Head of Operations, Mr Quayum Asafa for traffic rule violation and in a drama like scene, Johnson started driving recklessly in order to escape contravention and in the process ran over the officer.

According to reports, on realising what she had done,the banker  ran and escaped from the scene of the incident into Ikota Estate Ajah, with the security men shutting the gate permanently.

Last year, over 50 disabled persons were reportedly involved in the attack on the LASTMA Olowu office Lagos Island area of the state.

They were said to have stormed the place in about eight commuter buses with crates of empty bottles and other dangerous weapons to vent their anger on officials of LASTMA for impounding their vehicles and depriving them of their means of livelihood.

But the Commissioner for Transportation in the state, Mr Kayode Opeifa, said in every organization, there would be bad eggs.

According to him, LASTMA is not an exception.” And have been dealing with the situation through an international disciplinary measure,” stressing that many had faced corruption trials and those found guilty were dismissed.

He said training and mentorship programmes, which lasted three months were recently concluded. He said the training was to bring about a new and acceptable approach to traffic control and management in the state.

He said it was also designed to change the public perception of LASTMA officers in the way they discharge their duties.

“For the last four years, we have been working on the mentality of Lagosians, to remind them we are being paid with the money they pay as taxes. But we will change all that and I promise you  of a brand new LASTMA befitting of the new Lagos we crave for’’.

Besides, management of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) sacked 222 of its personnel for corrupt practices and misconduct such as extortion, dereliction of duty, disrespect to constituted authorities, fighting on the road and failing to comport themselves properly while discharging their duties.

Its Chairman Mr Young Arebamen said that the sack affected all cadres of the workforce.

He said 156 persons were dismissed while 66 had their appointments terminated. Of those dismissed, 129 were intermediate officers (level 06 and below). The remaining 29 were on level 07 and above.

He said the appointments of 55 junior staff were terminated while 11 senior officers were also kicked out in this category.

LASTMA boss said the affected officers were given opportunity to defend themselves before final decisions were taken.

It is hoped the Lagos government will weed bad eggs from the agency with a view to bringing back the pleasure associated with driving cars around the state in the olden days.