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Tag: LASTMA

  • Man, 33, arraigned for impersonating LASTMA

    Man, 33, arraigned for impersonating LASTMA

    The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arraigned Olufemi Obadeyi before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court for allegedly presenting himself as its official to extort motorists.

    Obadeyi, a 33-year-old graduate of Business Administration, was working with LASTMA before he was dismissed by the agency for misconduct in August 2006.

    He pleaded guilty to the two-count charge of impersonation and extortion.

    Magistrate Mrs. Dan Oni, ruled that he be remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons till January 16, when he will be sentenced.

    According to the prosecutor, Obadeyi, was arrested by a LASTMA patrol team on December 28, last year after a tip-off from motorists who reported illegal activities of someone parading himself as an officer and extorting motorists at Ojuelegba in Lagos.

    The patrol team responded to the call and arrested Obadeyi as he was demanding money from motorists for not using seat belt. The accused was in LASTMA uniform with another person in mufti holding a walkie talkie negotiating for money when he was arrested.

    Obadeyi attempted to escape but was arrested; but his accomplice fled.

    Obadeyi, who admitted to be operating in LASTMA uniform with a fake name tag (Olufemi A.O), confessed to be involved in many of such illegal duties around Ojuelegba under bridge.

    He said he did not hand over his identity card following his dismissal on the ground that it was lost.

    LASTMA General Manager Mr Babatunde Edu said it was disheartening that some unpatriotic Nigerians were exploiting others for their selfish interest.

    He said the agency would not rest until all bad eggs within its fold were arrested and brought to justice.

    His office, he said, was inundated with petitions/complaints of extortion from the public and praised residents for their forbearance, adding that the agency will continue to fight fraud and exploitation by its men.

    Edu urged motorists to be wary of officers demanding money from them, noting that the agency runs a cashless operation .

  • CDHR protests ‘anti-people’ laws

    CDHR protests ‘anti-people’ laws

    Members of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday as part of the celebration of human rights day, challenging what it called anti-people laws emanating from the House.

    Speaking on behalf of the group, its Lagos State chairman, Comrade Buna Isak said those at the helm of affairs in the country should desist from dishing out anti-people policies to forestall possible revolution which may occur if government remain adamant.

    Isak said: “December 10 is set aside as the commemoration of human rights day, the truth remains that in Nigeria, we still have a long way to freedom. People are not contented with what is happening. There are indiscriminate arrests by officers of the Lagos State government security outfits, they include LASTMA, KAI, Task Force, the police among others and people are being subjected to unnecessary pains and hardship at different points in the state.”

    He urged the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji to urgently intervene to save innocent people that are being detained especially at the Task Force office, saying: “I am very sure if Mr. Speaker makes just an appearance at theses offices, those people will get their freedom.”

    Some of their placards read among others: ‘Lagos Assembly, stop making laws that are anti-people, and ‘Ban Tokunbo, ban democracy’ etc.

    Ikuforiji responded: “I want to reassure you that the House is yours, members are there to represent your interests and needs. Whatever we do is done as a result of the power you repose in us. I also believe as you have said that power belongs to the people.”

    He said he would set up a team of his colleagues to visit the Taskforce office to ascertain if there are truly innocent people detained, adding that after getting the report, he would do the needful.

  • Fashola offers 3,311 LASTMA, KAI officials permanent employment

    AT last they had cause to smile. For over 10 years, officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) pressurised the state government to streamline their employment and confirm them as public servants.

    Yesterday, Governor Babatunde Fashola gave them a befitting Christmas gift. He offered the 3,311 ad-hoc officers permanent employment in the state public service. They are now free to proudly carry the epithet of civil servants.

    With the employment, Fashola said the government would no longer tolerate extortion and indiscipline by men of both agencies.

    He said anyone caught would be dismissed.

    The governor also unveiled plans to set up the Lagos State Law Enforcement Institute to regulate the activities of LASTMA and KAI, as well as train their officials.

    Speaking at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos, Fashola gave three Special Traffic Mayors; Mr. Anthony Edewor, Mr. Salisu Adamu and Mr. Salisu Audu employment offers for making input to traffic control.

    Explaining the rationale of the reforms, which he said had been on-going in the last two years Governor Fashola notede that the reform was tailored to redevelop and furnish all the 30 offices of LASTMA and KAI, adding that the officials “work in very difficult condition.”

  • Fashola to LASTMA: Let traffic offenders go free if…

    Fashola to LASTMA: Let traffic offenders go free if…

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, (SAN) has charged officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), to focus on their primary responsibility of ensuring free flow of traffic across the metropolis rather than apprehending erring motorists.

    Fashola gave the charged on Tuesday at the induction of the new Special Traffic Mayor and meeting with LASTMA Personnel held at the LTV 8 Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja.

    The governor said rather than allowing the enforcement of the law to generate traffic gridlock on the highways, they should instead allow the traffic offenders to go so as not to defeat the purpose for which the agency was established.

    “The primary responsibility of LASTMA is to keep the state traffic moving. And this is the reason why the agency exists. Arresting traffic offenders is secondary. If making an arrest will increase the traffic, let the offenders go. I say this not because I don’t want law breakers to be apprehended and brought to justice, but law breakers cannot undermine our main objective.

    “The longer people stay more in traffic, the more money is wasted and fuel is burnt and when people stay more in traffic, this leads to increase in the price of goods in the state. But with a moving traffic, price of goods will be stable,” he stated.

    Fashola urged the traffic management personnel to always draw government’s attention to bad portions of the roads in their areas of operations.

    “Part of the LASMA duties is to report to us regularly about the area they are posted that have bad roads. This government has moved away from only constructing roads to also do maintenance through the Public Works Corporation. You are our primary source of data and we have spent a lot of time and resources training you,” the governor added.

     

     

  • Molue banned on Lagos Island

    Molue banned on Lagos Island

    Lagos State Government said that it will no longer allow the operators of 911 buses, popularly known Molue” from plying routes on Lagos Island.

    The General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Mr. Babatunde Edu, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with the branch chairmen of the Lagos Urban Bus Owners Association of Nigeria (LUBON).

    Edu said the new directive had become effective since August 19, urging operators to comply with it.

    He said no Molue bus should cross any link bridge into the Island, such as Third Mainland, Eko and Carter Brides, as they could no longer operate in the Central Business District.

    He explained that the decision was taken due to government’s determination to ensure adequate monitoring of commercial vehicles’ operations and compliance with traffic rules and regulations

    He said, “Though the Lagos State Government was supposed to have commenced enforcement last month, but being a responsive and responsible government which believes in enlightenment before enforcement, we therefore decided to shift the enforcement to this month,” he said.

    Edu stated that LASTMA had been mandated to ensure strict directive and compliance and impound any such of vehicle that flout the rule after the September 4 deadline.

    He said the buses could however perform their operations in other parts of the state aside the restricted areas.

     

     

  • Council chief makes case for traffic flow

    THE chairman of Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area, Hon. Owolabi Yisa has urge residents and stakeholders in the council to ensure free flow of traffic at Ajah and Badore roads. The council chief said this at a meeting he held with them at the council secretariat.

    He said some of the causes at the traffic snarl include: wrong parking of cars along the roads, attitude of commercial motorcyclists as well as that of riders of tricycles. Also causing obstruction is the behaviour of those selling suya at Ajah round about.

    Yisa said he called the meeting to listen to suggestions on possible ways of avoiding traffic logjam along Ajah-Badore road. According to him,the issue has become a challenge to the community and government which if not checked will negatively affect the economy of the council .

    Mr. Babatunde Jeje,a participant at the meeting, said that the on-going road construction at Ajah is a major cause of the traffic, just as little potholes at the roundabout and Abraham Adesanya junction also contribute.

    The representative of Co-operative Villa pointed out the need for parking space, which was supported by the chairman, saying shop owners are supposed to provide parking space for customers. Examples of these are Ajah market, Sangotedo market and Shoprite at Lekki. He said the Addo Langbasa Market is not approved by government as proper measures were not taken before building the market.

    Many brilliant ideas came from participants,one of them was that schools and business organisations should provide a parking space for their customers to avoid wrong parking of cars along the road. NO PARKING signal should be placed on some part of the roads and alternative routes should be created and efforts should be made to appeal to construction workers to hasten up their work.

    The chairman said creation of alternative routes may depend on availability of funds. He revealed the challenges he faced before Langbasa-Addo road was constructed and how he got the approval for the proposed secretariat some days back.

    He concluded that some road construction and some alternative routes have been approved and work will soon begin on them. He mentioned that committees should be set up amongst business units to create the best places to put ‘NO PARKING’ sign posts

    Dignitaries present include traditional rulers of Ajah, Badore and Addo, representatives of Education Unit, FRSC, LASTMA, Police officers, Ajah CDA, Addo CDA, Badore CDA members, Co-operative Villa, Thomas Estate, tricycles andcommercial motorcyclists, some officials of the council and many others.

     

  • Limousine operators deny planned attack

    Airport Limousine Bus Operators Association (ALBO) has said it is not planning to clash with officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) attached to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

    Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, Chairman, ALBO, Mr Ilyas Aminu Ibrahim, since March 25, this year, when he emerged as chair, bus operators and LASTMA officials have relatiing with them cordially.

    According to Ibrahim, claims by Adesina Babatunde to wage war against LASTMA officials at the Lagos Airport is an attempt to discredit drivers who operate at the airport.

    He said the promoters of the planned clash were acting on their own, urging law enforcement agencies to investigate them.

    Babatunde, who is said to be leading one of the factions of airport drivers, alleged that the bus operators were angry and would confront the LASTMA officials in a free-for-all if they refuse to allow them disembark their passengers under the Ikeja Bus Stop bridge.

    He said: “That report is a big lie and cheap blackmail, there is nothing like that. As the chairman and since I have been in this office, we have been having a good rapport with those LASTMA officers that are handling this our area at PWD, we have a good rapport with them, we discuss with them.’’

     

     

     

    They even advise us on how to operate and enlighten our drivers not to be driving on the culvert and not to be turning in a place that has no U – turn and not to park and discharge passengers in a place that they don’t have to park and discharge passengers”

    He further noted that LASTMA officials at the airport have been helping the bus drivers by giving them useful advice on how to make their operations go smoothly affirming that ALBO has no problem with LASTMA because “we have been relating within ourselves as one family.”

    “I am disputing everything that Mr. Adesina Babatunde has said to the press, they are all lies, it is a blackmail against the LASTMA” he said.

    Also speaking, secretary of ALBO, Mr. Augustine Unumotse said that the association was greeted with the shocking news which was masterminded to thwart the long lasting relationship between the group and the LASTMA officials at the airport noting that the incumbent executives have no hand in dishing out such mischievous information to the public.

    “I want to say that we are very shocked and bitter about the news in the papers on Monday and we felt that the report was a cheap blackmail on the LASTMA officials who have been having a good working relationship with us .”

     

  • LASTMA official crushes boy to death

    An official of the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA), who allegedly crushed 14-year-old, Junior Okafor with his Pathfinder Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) yesterday, at Alaguntan, Ipaja area of Lagos, by a whisker. He narrowly escaped a mob action.

    The LASTMA official, who was allegedly driving one-way, following the early morning traffic snarls, which has made driving along the route a nightmare, crushed the boy, who is said to be a student of Estate High School, Gowon Estate.

    The late Okafor was said to be on his way to school when the incident that terminated his life occurred around 7:15am. It was gathered that immediately the incident occurred, sympathisers stormed the scene for a mob action against the “reckless” LASTMA official.

    However, he was allegedly beaten to a pulp by street urchins who had their hide-out somewhere around the place. He was about to be set ablaze when policemen from the nearby Gowon Estate Police Station reportedly came to his rescue.

    The policemen, it was learnt, bundled the helpless LASTMA official into their van and moved him to their station to prevent his killing.

    However, the hoodlums were angry at the fact that the same LASTMA people would always arrest motorists for driving against traffic. They, therefore, followed them to the police station and demanded that the suspect be handed over to them.

    A source said: “They threatened to burn the station if the LASTMA man was not released to them for jungle justice. But some senior police officers around assured them that justice would be done.”

    Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), confirmed the incident to The Nation on telephone.

    She, however, said that the LASTMA official did not drive against traffic, saying that his car’s brake failed.

  • Lagos dismisses 157 LASTMA officials

    Lagos dismisses 157 LASTMA officials

    FOR offences ranging from bribery, certificate forgery and dereliction of duty, 157 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have lost their jobs, the government said yesterday.

    The state government announced the sack of the traffic officers over alleged cases of gross misconduct in a newsletter obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    The government said it followed due process as those affected were given opportunities to prove their innocence before a disciplinary panel.

    It said they were kicked out because they could not convincingly defend themselves.

    No fewer than 250 officials of the agency were dismissed last year over corrupt acts and sundry offences.

    Last Friday, the Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, said government would not spare efforts to remove bad eggs in the organisation.

     

  • LASTMA, KAI sensitise the public

    Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) have been carrying out social projects aimed at sensitising the public about the agency’s new image.It is conducting a career evaluation training as a boost.

    Members of Group D of the third batch, who had just completed the training, were at the Chicken George Junction, Mushin where they joined hands with other members of the public in cleaning the environment.

    The group leader, Atiti Joseph, said their objective was to educate the public on traffic matters, maintaining good attitude on the road, and the dangers of road side trading.

    “This programme is mainly to correct the impression of the public because they accuse us of humiliating them.It will also show them that we are serving them and that we need their utmost cooperation. And to let them know on how to be road-friendly,” he said.

    Also, the group’s secretary, Ladipo Olatunbosun, said the programme is the agency’s Corporate Social Responsibility. “We want to be as friendly as possible and even when there is no law enforcement official in a place, people would maintain the law and order. We want people to see us as their friend and not as bad people,” he said, adding that the group is self-funded and does not rely on government for the needed fund.