Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has commended Lagos Traffic Radio for prompt and timely dissemination of traffic advice and information which enables residents to navigate smoothly across the metropolis on a daily basis.
Hamzat gave the commendation, on Thursday, while speaking as the Lead Speaker at the 5th Lagos Traffic Radio Lecture Series Webinar, themed: ‘Traffic Law Enforcement; The New Normal.’
The deputy governor commended the management and staff of the organisation for their relentless effort in providing traffic information and also solving gridlock through live reports, as well as partnering with state government and all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) towards ensuring a Lagos that works for all.
Hamzat said the station had lived up to its mandate, calling on residents to always tune in to the station to plan their journey daily, which would further ease traffic in the metropolis with informed updates in line with the THEMES Agenda of the present administration in guaranteeing seamless Inter-Modal Transport System, through effective Transport and Traffic Management.
He described this year’s theme as apt, especially in the face of the daunting challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic which is ravaging the world, saying the present administration had diversified Transportation using different modes, including Water Transportation, just as it intensifies work on the ongoing Red Line Rail Project.
The deputy governor, while assuring of more robust enforcement of all existing Traffic Rules and Regulations, said with Lagos being a densely populated city, citizens had a major role to play as the government was working around the clock in providing different programmes through the media as well as strengthen officials monitoring traffic to solve gridlocks on the road using technology.
On his part, the State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, who was one of the guest speakers, enjoined the station to intensify its efforts in bringing out more innovative programmes, even as he hinted that the state government had announced plans to install two thousand CCTV cameras across the state to monitor traffic congestion, complement the efforts of traffic managers, and combat the menace of traffic offenders on Lagos roads.
Speaking on the topic: ‘Lagos Traffic Law Enforcement: The Technical Dynamics of New Normal,’ Oladeinde added that in the coming weeks about 1000 handheld cameras would be distributed to personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), to enable them to document their operations and ensure proper sanctions to offenders of the state traffic laws.
The commissioner explained that this was to demonstrate the government’s commitment to leverage technology and up-to-date realities of the post-COVID-19 pandemic era in improving and solving the challenges of transportation and other related matters.
He said the government was also working to reduce human contact at the point of vehicle documentation, registration and licensing, adding that 57 more LAVICS Centres would be established across the state to enable motorists’ key into the zero tolerance for rickety vehicles on roads across the state.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, who spoke on the Topic: “Safety Starts with Us: Transportation and Personal Health Responsibility,” stated that since the first index case of COVID-19 in February, this year, the state had seen all together, 25000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and had tested almost 200000 people.
Abayomi also noted that right from the beginning; Lagos State’s testing capacity had improved with more people getting tested monthly, from about two hundred to five hundred, one thousand, adding Lagos was now testing close to 2000 people daily across the state, in all the Local governments and Local Council Development Areas.
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Abayomi emphasised on the need for Lagosians to follow all safety protocols, including regular handwashing, use of sanitizers, maintaining social distancing, wearing of face masks, for the pandemic to be defeated.
The commissioner also tasked parents and guidance to watch over their kids in the midst of the global health challenge.
Earlier, the host of the event, Lagos State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, noted that with 22million trips made daily on Lagos roads, a well-developed transportation system was critical to its success as a social-economic model for the African Continent.
The commissioner stressed that the 5th Lecture Series was geared towards proffering solutions to the problems associated with the transportation industry which include lack of expertise, lack of political will, lack of revenue and lack of Human resources.
General Manager, Lagos Traffic Radio, Mr Tayo Akanle, in his vote of thanks, gave thanks to the Almighty God for making the lecture a reality, describing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as a man of many visions and passion, full of dedication for Lagos and all its citizens.
He said the government had continued to show great leadership skills in the face of COVID-19, a global pandemic that has ravaged the world.
He pledged the station’s commitment to continue to provide timely, accurate, reliable and objective traffic report to the general public.
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