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Managing Lagos traffic is tough, we were attacked 45 times Oduyoye, General Manager
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By Bose Adelaja
General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, LASTMA, Olajide Oduyoye, in this interview, speaks on the traffic gridlock in Lagos and various challenges associated with traffic management.
How have you been managing the traffic situation in Lagos?
I was sworn in as the General Manager of LASTMA in 2019. Incidentally, the job of LASTMA is to ensure the free flow of traffic in Lagos State. It behooves the leader of the agency to ensure the free flow of traffic.
This is achievable mainly because the state government ensures that LASTMA officers are paid hazard allowances. This goes a long way to convince the officers that government is interested in their welfare. The state government ensures that an insurance policy is in place to cater to the officers where applicable, especially when we record injuries or death.
The governor had on Tuesday embarked on an unplanned fact-finding visit to Apapa in Lagos to ascertain the causes of incessant gridlock on roads leading to the seaports.
It was the fourth time Governor Sanwo-Olu and members of the State cabinet would be visiting Apapa over traffic congestion, which has impacted negatively on businesses and lives in the environ.
The blame game
While the Governor physically assessed the complexity of the situation that allowed heavy-duty trucks to clog up the access roads, a blame game ensued between stakeholders operating within and around the Apapa seaports.
The Committee of Freight Forwarders and Maritime Truckers (COFFAMAT) blamed the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) officials, Presidential Taskforce on Port Decongestion and the police for the corruption that allowed truck drivers to park indiscriminately on the road, while the Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA) absolved the police and the Taskforce, accusing COFFAMAT, tr
Nigeria: Apapa Gridlock - Lagos Moves to Take Over Presidential Taskforce Operation allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Apapa Gridlock: Lagos moves to take over presidential taskforce operation
“Our plan is to bring about (a) cohesive system where all stakeholders would understand their roles and resolve challenges being encountered,” the governor said.
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An unplanned fact-finding visit to Apapa, on Monday, by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to ascertain the causes of incessant gridlock on roads leading to the seaports has revealed several factors responsible for the congestion.
It was the fourth time Mr Sanwo-Olu and members of the state cabinet would be visiting Apapa over traffic congestion, which has impacted negatively on businesses and lives in the environment, a press statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES revealed.
The Lagos State Government has moved to take over from the Presidential Taskforce on Port Decongestion and create a new operational template for the taskforce.
This is seen as part of the steps being taken by the state government to restore sanity to the Apapa axis that has been bedeviled by serious traffic congestion, which has impacted negatively on businesses and lives in that environment.
The disclosure was made by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during an unplanned fact-finding visit to Apapa, on Monday, to ascertain the causes of incessant gridlocks on roads leading to the seaports, which revealed several factors responsible for the congestion.