Lawmakers from the Sokoto State House of Assembly on Tuesday visited their counterparts in Lagos State to know more about the Lagos State Traffic Law.
The News Agency Nigeria reports that the delegates were led by Sanni Yakubu, the Chairman of the Sokoto State House of Assembly Committee on Works and Transportation.
Yakubu said the Sokoto State Assembly was motivated by the successes of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Lagos State Traffic Law to make the trip.
He said the legislators had a proposed traffic law before them and embarked on the journey to seek advice from their counterparts in Lagos State.
According to him, the lawmakers decided to visit Lagos State being the centre of excellence with viable traffic laws.
Yakubu said Sokoto State could learn a lot from Lagos in the area of traffic control and management.
He said: “We came to the Lagos State House of Assembly based on the laws before us on traffic management and control in Sokoto State.
“Lagos State has recorded a lot of successes on transportation.
“We want to borrow their ideas and take them to our state.
“So far, we have been able to get some ideas from them such that would make our state achieve what Lagos State has achieved on traffic management over the years.
“We should be able to pass the bill within the next one month.”
The lawmakers commended the way LASTMA had been operating in the area of control of traffic and the kind of equipment it worked with.
Responding, the Chairman of the Lagos State House Committee on Transportation, Fatai Mojeed, said he received the notice of the visit with excitement.
Mojeed said: “All the good things in Nigeria start from Lagos State.
“Lagos State House of Assembly has become a force to reckon with in Nigeria.
“We are happy with the visit.
“It shows that we are doing well.
“We have always been leading in the scheme of things in the state.
“We lead, while others follow.
“We have given a copy of the state traffic law to the visiting lawmakers and we believe that it will assist them in their work.”
Earlier, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dayo Mobereola, urged the lawmakers to professionalise their traffic law.
Mobereola, who said the work of traffic officers was strenuous and hazardous, advised that traffic officers should be paid differently from the civil servants because they worked for longer hours.
He said: “Reward them accordingly to get the right people with the right attitude.
“Don’t just sensitise the people about the traffic law.
“Put signalisation on the roads and add the penalty for the offence to it.
“Traffic enforcement is 24 hours and that is what we are trying to achieve in Lagos State because traffic offenders commit most offences when traffic officers have closed from work.”
Also speaking, a member of the Lagos House of Assembly Committee on Transport, Funmilayo Tejuosho, said the state Ministry of Justice needed to work with the transport ministry.
Tejuosos said this was necessary in order to achieve the desired aims and objectives of traffic control.
She said: “We now have a mobile court for traffic offences in Lagos State.
“It is something you need to copy to handle traffic offences early in the state.
“There is a Magistrate, Registrar and Clerk in each vehicle of such courts.”
Meanwhile, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LASTMA, Chris Olakpe, recalled that the authority was established in 2000 to complement the work of the security agencies on traffic and intelligence gathering.
Olakpe said: “The welfare of the men is important.
“They must be promoted every three years to encourage them.
“Their salaries are paid regularly to curb corruption.”
NAN.
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