LASTMA Pledges Stronger Traffic Discipline As Ifako-Ijaiye Leaders Seek Collaboration
Rashidat O. Okunlade Writes, Lagos
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to restoring traffic discipline across the state, as community leaders from Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area paid a strategic visit to the Agency’s headquarters in Oshodi to explore areas of collaboration.
The delegation, comprising eminent community leaders, professionals, and stakeholders, commended LASTMA for its resilience and operational effectiveness in mitigating traffic congestion despite the growing complexities of urban mobility in Africa’s fastest-growing megacity.
GM Calls for Collective Responsibility
Receiving the delegation, LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed appreciation for the association’s recognition of the Agency’s vision to engender voluntary compliance with traffic regulations through sustained public enlightenment, strategic partnerships, and civic responsibility.
Bakare-Oki stressed that restoring traffic sanity cannot be achieved through enforcement alone, but requires the collective commitment of residents, community-based organisations, traditional institutions, religious bodies, transport unions, and other critical stakeholders.
He noted that the Sanwo-Olu administration remains resolutely committed to delivering a safer, smarter, and more efficient transportation system. According to him, LASTMA has continued to recalibrate its operational strategies through enhanced personnel training, technological innovation, intelligence-driven traffic management, and intensified public sensitisation campaigns.
The General Manager further emphasised that community participation remains indispensable in combating traffic violations, indiscriminate parking, one-way driving, road obstructions, and other unlawful practices that impede the free flow of vehicular movement across the state.
He assured the delegation that LASTMA would continue to strengthen its engagement with Community Development Associations, professional bodies, and civil society organisations to deepen public trust, improve compliance with traffic laws, and foster a sustainable culture of responsible road usage.
Community Leaders Pledge Support
Earlier, President of the Ifako-Ijaiye Leaders of Thoughts Association, Chief Jonathan Tawose, lauded the General Manager and his team for the transformation witnessed within the Agency under his leadership. He described LASTMA as an indispensable institution in the advancement of public safety, traffic orderliness, and sustainable urban mobility in Lagos.
Tawose affirmed the association’s readiness to collaborate closely with LASTMA through community advocacy, grassroots sensitisation, and strategic stakeholder engagement aimed at promoting adherence to traffic regulations and discouraging acts capable of undermining public order on the roads.
The association further pledged to serve as a bridge between the Agency and residents of Ifako-Ijaiye by supporting initiatives designed to entrench traffic discipline, strengthen community participation, and encourage responsible road behaviour among motorists, commercial transport operators, and pedestrians.
A Shared Commitment
The meeting culminated in a shared commitment by both parties to institutionalise continuous dialogue, expand collaborative public enlightenment initiatives, and foster a mutually beneficial partnership dedicated to restoring sanity on Lagos roads in furtherance of the transportation agenda of the Lagos State Government.
