Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
September 6, 2015 – The Lagos State Government has said that it will no longer be business as usual for trailers found in the metropolis between the hours of 6am and 9pm, vowing to impound any trailer found in the state during this period.
The Lagos Road Traffic Law allows trailers to ply the state only between 9pm and 5:59am daily.
But failure to enforce this law has led loss of lives, the recent one being the incident at Ojuelegba, where a trailer conveying an unlatched container fell off Ojuelegba bridge, leaving at least two people dead after smashing two vehicles.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Oluseyi Whenu, who spoke to journalists on the backdrop of the fatal accident involving a container-laden trailer on September 2, said the trailer contravened Section 2 (i) and 2 (ii) of the Traffic Law.
To this end, Whenu said the state government will henceforth go tough on any trailer and long vehicle that contravenes the law, adding that henceforth all such vehicle will be impounded and made to pay the stipulated fine.
He spoke just as leaders of various transport unions and associations in the state at the weekend rose from a meeting with officials of the state government with a resolve to support the new directive introduced in apprehending traffic offenders.
Whenu, at the meeting clarified the state government’s position on the new directive, saying that LASTMA officials have not been withdrawn from performing their statutory responsibilities on the road.
He said the new directive would pay more emphasis on flawless flow of traffic, while traffic offenders will now be booked and expected to pay their fines within the stipulated period in line with the state government’s covenant with Lagosians to make life easier for them.
He therefore solicited the co-operation and support of all transport operators in ensuring the success of this laudable initiative and to warn their members not to see act of humanness by the State Government as a sign of weakness by attacking LASTMA or any other enforcement agents, as this would be sanctioned in accordance with relevant provisions of the law.
“The State Government has also directed that all commercial passenger vehicles should obey all traffic rules and regulations by stopping only at designated bus-stops, close bus doors while in motion among other provisions of the law”, Whenu said.
Responding, the State Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Alhaji Musa Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of other union leaders pledged the support of their members in co-operating with the state government in maintaining law and order .
The meeting was attended by the leadership of the various Transport Unions including Prince Tajudeen Adetoro, State Chairman of the Taxi Cab Operators, Alhaji Musa Mohammed, State Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN) and Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, State Treasurer, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), amongst others.
