LASTMA not for revenue generation, says Lagos
By Tunde Alao
CONTRARY to public perception, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) was not established by the state government to raise funds from motorists.
The agency, according to the state government, only generates 30 per cent of its yearly expenditure, which is grossly inadequate to keep it afloat.
Addressing the newly-recruited LASTMA officials at the weekend, the Deputy Governor, Mr. Olufemi Pedro, said the state's huge expenditure on the agency was justifiable.
Pedro also charged the officials to be humane, firm courteous and to refrain from extorting money from motorists.
To meet the challenges posed by Lagos as the commercial nerve centre of the country and keep recalcitrant drivers under check, the government would continue to require continuous recruitment of more personnel.
He said in spite of the efforts of the state government, traffic situation has remained chaotic because of bad driving habit. The loss of productive hours occasioned by traffic jams and the impact on the people has made the government resolute in its drive to herald a culture of decent motoring.
LASTMA, Pedro said, is charged with the enforcement of all traffic rules and regulations against bad driving habits such as parking on pedestrian walk-ways, road median and disobeying traffic-lights.
He told the officials that they were expected to educate motorists and the general public on the proper use of the highways.
The deputy governor told them that LASTMA was not set up to generate revenue. He, therefore, warned the recruits against deviating from the task of ensuring hitch-free motoring in the state.
He said: "The gains of the government lies on the multiplier effects of an efficient transport system that allows commerce to go unhindered. We perceive it as nothing other than a social responsibility".
The authority, Pedro explained, has been divided into nine zones for effective performance.
In his address, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Muiz Banire, said the new recruitment exercise was predicated on the need to improve on the performance of LASTMA since it is the only agency that has made traffic less chaotic in Lagos.
He revealed that LASTMA had considerably reduced the man-hour loss to traffic congestion which was estimated at N42 billion yearly before 1999.
The initial success of the authority, according to Banire, had endeared it to members of the public "so much that all communities in the metropolis clamoured for the extension of its services to every neighbourhood".
In a prompt response, 500 men were recruited in October 2000, Banire said.
The commissioner condemned the attempt by some people to replace the agency by a parallel organisation, which he said could return the state to the status quo.
He charged the new officials to see their employment as an opportunity to serve, saying: "You are implored to shun all vices and discharge your duties diligently without fear or favour".
