…Sensitizes Public on Traffic Law Compliance
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The Lagos State Government has emphasized the need for collaboration among motorists and stakeholders in the transport sector to ensure maximum road safety, especially during the high-risk ember months marked by increased travel and festivities.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, made the call on Tuesday while leading senior government officials, traffic management officers, and key stakeholders to flag off the 2025 Ember Month Safety Campaign organized by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) at the agency’s headquarters in Oshodi.
Giwa said the forum was part of the government’s continued efforts to educate and sensitize road users on safety consciousness and strict adherence to traffic regulations.
Speaking at the event themed “Safe Roads, Safe Lives — LASTMA Cares,” Giwa reiterated the Sanwo-Olu administration’s commitment to safer and smarter mobility, describing the campaign as more than a yearly ritual.
“This campaign underscores the state’s renewed, human-centered approach to traffic management under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration,” Giwa said.
He noted that with over 4,100 LASTMA officers deployed across Lagos, the agency serves as the “silent economic engine sustaining the state’s daily productivity.”
According to him, empirical data shows that each LASTMA officer helps prevent economic losses estimated at over ₦85 million annually through congestion management and gridlock prevention — a cumulative ₦430 billion in saved man-hours that supports Lagos’s ₦41 trillion GDP.
“Our LASTMA officers are not just enforcers of road discipline; they are economic stabilizers, public educators, and protectors of human dignity. Every hour they recover from gridlock is an hour returned to productivity; every accident they prevent is a life preserved,” he added.
Giwa explained that the ember months bring a surge in road use, interstate travel, and commercial activity, especially as residents return home for festivities.
“Passenger inflow through our airports and interstate corridors increases by nearly 30 percent during this period. Markets, event centers, and commercial corridors experience unusual vehicular surges that put immense pressure on our roads. LASTMA must therefore remain proactive, not reactive,” he said.
He urged motorists to embrace safe driving habits, stressing that “safety is not seasonal, it is cultural.”
“Let us make the right driving attitude the new Lagos identity. Compliance is not punishment; it is partnership. Every Lagosian must internalize the message that safe roads guarantee safe lives — because indeed, LASTMA cares,” Giwa declared.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to achieving zero accidents, zero fatalities, and zero excuses during the ember months.
Bakare-Oki said the campaign brings together transport unions, law enforcement agencies, and the motoring public in a shared mission to reduce road accidents during the busy season.
He disclosed that Lagos currently hosts over 5.2 million registered vehicles, representing about 40 percent of Nigeria’s total vehicular population, making it particularly vulnerable to congestion and accidents during the period.
Bakare-Oki commended Governor Sanwo-Olu’s visionary leadership, which has enhanced LASTMA’s operations through innovations such as drone surveillance, body-worn cameras, and improved emergency logistics.
“Safety is not seasonal but cultural. Safe roads mean safe lives — because LASTMA truly cares,” he stated.
Stakeholders present at the event included representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and school children, among others.
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