Lagos govt. trains 250 LASTMA senior officers on traffic mgt.

Lagos State Government has commenced the training of 250 Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) senior officers on traffic incident management.

Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos by Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr Adebayo Taofiq.

Osiyemi said that the training was in collaboration with Association of Certified Forensic Intelligence and Crime Analysts.

He said that the programme was in line with the on-going strategic re-positioning LASTMA operations for professionalism and more effective service delivery to the general public.

According to the commissioner, the training is also in line with ‘Traffic Management and Transportation’, one of the cardinal programmes of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as captured in his administration’s (Themes+) pillars of development.

“Government is investing huge resources in training and re-training of LASTMA personnel to guarantee a refined and robust traffic management system as well as reduce traffic congestion across the state.

“We mapped out new re-training modules to aid effective execution of duties as well as enlighten our officers on innovative ways to optimise their operations.

“This is in order to meet up with international standards and best practices in traffic management,” he said.

Earlier, the Convener of the workshop, Prof. Abiola Allen, said that traffic incidents could be destructive in a metropolitan city like Lagos, if not well managed.

Allen pointed out that valuable insights and best practices would be taught by seasoned and experienced police officers.

Also, the Commandant of Police Training School, DCP Ishaq Salihu, said that the workshop would further strengthen the ability of LASTMA personnel in proper management of traffic incidences across the state.

Salihu said that a total of 5,700 crashes occurred in 2023, with no fewer than 2,850 people losing their lives, describing it as a significant loss of lives and property.

Permanent Secretary for the ministry, Mr Olawale Musa, said that the training was critical to the success of the officers on duty.

General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said that the manner in which the agency’s personnel did their jobs was of utmost importance to the society.

“We are Lagos State ambassadors and as such, we must render our service with empathy and high level professionalism,” he said.