About five days ago, Galaxy Television in Lagos State reported an interesting news item around its area of operation on Allen Avenue. An operator of a tricycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP or Marwa, beat the traffic light at the ever busy Allen Avenue Junction. Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, who were nearby, pursued him for the breaking the rule. In the process, the van in which the LASTMA officials were riding, hit the Marwa, making it to fall on its side. Luckily, the operator of the Marwa escaped unhurt and fled.
But that is not the main gist of the news item. Here it is: One of the LASTMA officials, after the Marwa fell on its side, decided to then pursue, on foot, the fleeing operator. This was said to have angered the Marwa operator’s colleagues, who then pounced on the LASTMA official and beat him to a pulp.
Several issues arise from this development. It still remains a sad commentary that drivers in Lagos State, especially those involved in commercial transportation, have little or no regard for the rules of driving. It is common place to see them violate traffic laws at will and in the process kill, maim and damage other people’s vehicles. They have no regard for traffic lights, pick passengers indiscriminately and disobey those legally authorized by the law to enforce traffic rules, including policemen and LASTMA officials.
That is not to say that on the part of the law enforcement agencies there are no breakers of the rules of engagement. Pursuing a traffic offender to the point of having to ram into the vehicle or Marwa as in the case above, is not one of the lessons taught during the training for operatives of LASTMA or any other law enforcement agency.
But then, taking the laws into one’s hand in dealing with issues such as this is a major challenge that must be addressed in bringing Lagos State up to speed in the transport sector as it works towards attaining the status of a mega city. Two wrongs never make a right. And at the same time, there are channels for reporting such developments as the one on Allen Avenue, with the culprit or culprits severely dealt with, in most cases with termination of appointment. The enforcement of discipline among LASTMA officials has not been taken lightly since the agency came into being, and this has been more so since the present administration, under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, came into office.
There are so many channels that are available to seek redress. Direct reporting to the LASTMA office is there. The Office of the Public Defender has rendered assistance to so many Lagosians and is still doing. So also has a private initiative seeking for a better Lagos State, including bringing sanity into the transportation sector, For a Better Lagos, provided platforms for reporting and discussing such issues.
In this wise, For a Better Lagos has created social media platforms through which such infractions can be reported. With actions taken immediately on behalf of the person reporting by officials of the group if there is no immediate response from the agency involved. The platforms created by For a Better Lagos are available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as: Lagos Danfo and Okada. There are also the Hash tags: #StopLagosDanfoandOkada, #LagosDanfoandOkadaMustGo.
Though some have misconstrued the essence of this group, it is aimed at becoming a platform to radically assist in the envisaged change in the face of transportation in Lagos. The dream is to bring the transportation sector to what is obtainable in other parts of the world, especially in Europe, with London as the yardstick, since it is one place a lot of Nigerians and Lagosians have visited. And one of the major crusades of the group remains the training and retraining of all stakeholders in the sector, especially the operators of the means of transportation and those enforcing the laws.
A city without an effective and respectable means of transportation cannot fall into the class of mega cities. It will only remain a city. What we have now as transportation system is degrading and demeaning for humans. Respect for traffic rules, which is at the very heart of effective transportation, is still missing in Lagos, especially among the commercial drivers and needs to be tackled frontally. This was why For a Better Lagos made it its first call when it launched a few months back. Governor Ambode’s vision for a better transport sector can never be achieved if things continue this way. Which is why he must be given credit for also making it a part of the agenda for changing the face of transportation in Lagos. It is not, as many have misconstrued it, just to wipe off Danfo, Marwa and Okada and replace them with bigger and more comfortable buses that are befitting for a mega city such as Lagos. It is a total package. And that is the dream Lagosians must back.
. Emerole is the Secretary of For a Better Lagos.
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