We embraced Technology initiatives to reduce human contact between the public and our men—Olalekan, LASTMA GM

Let’s meet you

My name is Mr Bakari-Oki Olalekan, General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

How have you been able to achieve so much in making sure that traffic congestion is reduced to the barest minimum in Lagos State, the Centre of Excellence and Aquatic Splendour, what are those things you put in place to get things done?

Part of what we put in place in order to reposition the agency for a better and efficient service delivery, we are able to put in place all round yearly training and retraining and orientation of our men. For 2025, we put in place the training of our men both internal and external starting from January, and the training cut across till the end of the year. We have a training room which can take as much as 200 participants, and we do this on regular basis. We train our men on enforcement without aggression, emotional intelligence, we also take them on the rudiments of the modus of our operation, on why they should be of good ambassador, why they should represent Lagos State and the agency in a polite and sophisticated professional manner always.

When I became the General Manager, I and my team, part of what we recognized was the need to rejig the disciplinary system of the agency, we were able to resuscitate and make sure the officers up their games in what we are doing, in terms of efficient monitoring and made sure we put checks and balances on our men and we do this on daily basis, we move round where we have LASTMA men across Lagos. Also we are able to bring up a surveillance unit, this unit, they go round Lagos without uniform, use private vehicles, also they do a watchdog. And also, by July, 2024, LASMA commissioned a toll free line, this was part of what we put in place to make sure that  we get real time feedback. We use it to evaluate what we have been doing.

The toll-free line was commissioned basically for Lagosians and the road users to call in and give us real time and genuine information in terms of conduct of our men, wherever there is any emergency on the road, traffic congestion, accident, and when they call, we have about 10 responders, and at the end of the day, when we get the information, we make sure we attend to them promptly. Since the establishment of this call centre, the agency has received over 7000 calls which are promptly attended to.  We communication in our lingua franca which is English, we also accommodate mother tongue in Lagos which is Yoruba, but those that are not conversant with English or the mother tongue can reach us via Pijin.  The number is readily available everywhere, the number is 080000527882. This is part of what we put in place for us to perform optimally.

We equally have a programme being anchored by a unit of this agency under the supervision of my PRO, he overseas their affairs, we call it the School Advocacy Programme,  basically they move round Lagos, touching on all schools in the state, both private and public, primary and secondary schools, where we take them on rules of traffic regulations and high level safety standards to our children. This was intentional on the part of the agency so that we will be able to have a society where there is law and order, so that by the time these children have grown up, they must have imbibed the spirit and culture of safety and how to use the road maximally.

Also another thing we have been able to touch on in order to enhance our productivity is our research and statistics department, we have been able to rejig that department too so that we can have a coherent and Integrity proven data base. What we do since I came into office, we have been able to upscale the activities of the data collation department, I can tell you for free, we have sufficient and accurate figure as regards vehicular activities of roads in Lagos State. For 2024, LASTMA was able to apprehend 16,824 offenders in terms of critical apprehension. Part of what have improved our productivity also, we have embraced Technology initiatives, this was also direct and intentional. We embraced it, firstly, we want to reduce human interaction between our men and the public, vis a vis litigations the agency has been witnessing over the years. It was deliberate so that we would be able to curb whatever backlash on the part of the agency.

Can you tell us how you resolve such issue as when some drivers and your men engage in physical confrontation maybe on issue of enforcement?

No LASTMA official should insult any road user in Lagos.  Over the years since the establishment of the agency, what we have been experiencing has been series of attacks on the part of road users. We have been experiencing transfer of aggression, as a result of what is ongoing in the country. So many people, there mind, they have a lot going on in their heads, so when they leave their various houses, any body that tries to correct them whenever they commit any traffic offence, they are ready to go all out to defend or to transfer the aggression on such. Let me give you a very good example on issue of commercial buses popularly known as danfo on Lagos roads. For a LASTMA official to apprehend any erring danfo driver that commits any Traffic offence in Lagos, you will be contending not only with the driver and the conductor, the whole 14 passengers, you will be contending with them for you to apprehend such vehicle.

So that is why you see our men at times when those commercial drivers tend to misbehave, they would just take pictorial evidence so that on our comfort zone, we would take those vehicles. Part of the training we have been giving to our men, we have been telling them, whenever they want to apprehend, or do enforcement, they should always consider safety first,  apart from their own safety, safety of the driver of the vehicle and the entire passengers because those commercial drivers at times they tend to go hair wire. Ikorodu road for instance, you would see a commercial bus driver driving against the traffic and in an attempt for any LASTMA official to stop or to impound such vehicle, they would drive recklessly not minding the lives and safety of the passengers in the vehicle. If eventually something happens, people would not look at what the driver has done, rather they would be shouting LASTMA has come again. So this is part of the training we have given our men that they should always be discretional and make sure they uphold safety whenever they want to apprehend vehicles. You must agree with me that commercial bus drivers are a menace in Lagos, but the government is not resting on its oars, the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Transportation is putting everything in place to checkmate their excesses.

We have a program from the ministry of transportation that is call the Bus Reform Initiative, Lekki Ajah Axis happens to be the pilot Scheme. What the ministry of transportation is doing now, they want to franchise license to a reputable and high standard company that would run this commercial activity. They will give them the standard, they are going to give the company the standard of vehicle they are to put on the road, they must meet up with the standard, they will give them a special color, and body code number, so whenever any of the vehicles commit any Traffic offence, LASTMA doesn’t need to run to apprehend them at all cost, what you do just pick the body number, and send them straight down to such company that the vehicle is working under, so all things being equal, before the end of next year, this type of scheme that is on ground will be replicated across the five divisions of the State.

You said you have a toll-free line for the public to call and give real time and reliable information on the activities of your men, what are the issues they always raise and how do you handle that? Again what are in place for your men as per welfare, their job, being a high risk one?

As I earlier stated we have been able to upscale our disciplinary system, in terms of curtailing the excesses of our men. If any of our men are found wanting, what we do, we go through the statutory process of the Lagos State public service rule. This has really worked for the agency. A substantial evidence would be gathered, after which such officer would be queried and presented for discipline at Alausa.

From 2024, or let’s say 2023 when I became the General Manager of this agency, we have been able to sanctioned about 60 LASTMA officials, about 9 were dismissed, while about 18 of them were given reduction in ranks, others were given straight warning letters, last warning in case they misbehave, we will surely show them the way out.

And what is in place in terms of welfare of my men, the current Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been ever supportive of this agency, we have a robust and comprehensive insurance system, apart from the global insurance for every staff of Lagos State, in his magnanimity, he has been able to give us another concrete and reliable insurance and that is to tell you that LASTMA staff enjoy double insurance scheme whenever they have any issues. Apart from this, because of the nature of our job, LASTMA men are prone to attacks, so we have a very good synergy and collaboration with all Lagos State Government hospitals and health centres across the state, my welfare unit here, whenever such occurrence happen, what they do, they move the worker straight to any nearby government Health centre, whatever treatment giving is done without the LASTMA official paying a dime, even after all this, the staff would be appreciated. At the end of the day, we do a write up to Mr Governor for payment, aside this, money is still given to such LASTMA official as a form of encouragement, for them to perform better.

Apart from this, on the issue of security, we have a police unit here being headed by CSP of police, basically, they provide security coverage whenever we want to go out on a major operation. We also have a robust cordial working relationship with the military especially the military police, whenever we have challenges, The military police under General Matthew Oyetola in the Cantonment here, Operations, he has been wonderful, ever supportive, whenever we call on him, whenever we have challenges, when we call on him, his response has always been spontaneous

Somebody said he paid N200,000 to LASTMA over an offence, I said no, no LASTMA penalty attracts as much as that, can you enlighten us on this area?

Whatever we do we have principles, we have a book guiding our operations, all the offences; that is our own bible and Quran. The 2012 Traffic Law of Lagos,  the first of its kind in the entire country, it was reviewed in 2016, and the last review was done in 2018, that is where we have the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018. That is our legal backing, all offences and penalties are highlighted there.

Now on the issue of N200,000 you made mention of, driving in direction prohibited by law in Lagos is forfeiture, popularly called one way, what Lagos State transport sector reform stipulates is forfeiture, totally and the proclamation will be done by a magistrate court, the Lagos state mobile court, we send such driver and vehicle to a magistrate, the magistrate or the judge has the final say, but what the law stipulates for such offence is forfeiture. The law even went further to stipulate jail term for any driver that commits such. But be that as it may, you know we are in democracy, and Mr Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the man of the people, considering the situation in the country, what he has done is to give us executive fiat, that any vehicle that is confiscated by a legitimate court, the owner of such vehicle can write the legal department of this agency and seek for leniency and invariably such forfeiture is converted to a fine of N200,000.

Some time ago some drivers who committed traffic offence were taken to the hospital for psychiatric test, I don’t know if the exercise has stopped, two, I heard the agency wanted to wear bodycam for their men, I don’t know how it is now, and thirdly, there is this particular officer in Ejigbo, there was an accident that happened and there was loss of lives, so because he was in charge of the team, he was arrested and taken to court and jailed. Now the wife is saying the husband and family were abandoned. Sir you have done a lot for the agency and state, in what way do you think you can help the man in question.

On the issue of bodycam, as I said earlier, part of what the agency has done in order to perform better, is the Technology Initiative, that is why I said our enforcement is being driven by Technology. You must have seen our men with a gadget in form of a POS, it is called traffic management solution, TMS, what the gadget does is whenever any driver commits traffic offence, what is expected from the LASTMA official is just to capture the real time evidence, after capturing the traffic infractions, the system has a thing that sends such evidence to the table, it is now left to those offices on the table to access, and if they found it weighty or substantial enough, they take it and quickly a message is sent to the assumed offender or the driver that committed the infraction. On the message, the driver has two options, either to go and pay or to contest, but sincerely, majority of them, they don’t contest, because the message sent to them has substantial evidence, video speaks volume.  LASTMA has grown past the era era of bodycam. What the Lagos State Government is doing now is digitizing all Lagos roads in terms of camera installation, go to third mainland bridge, the ministry has been able to install speed limiter camera on third mainland bridge, we have it by Alapere, so whenever you are on the bridge you shouldn’t over speed on that bridge, after the federal government rehabilitated the whole stretch of the bridge, people started over speeding and no responsible or responsive Government would sit down and watch her citizens die, that is what necessitated the installation of speed limiter camera on Lagos roads. It is not done to generate revenue but just to ensure that people adhere strictly to safety standards. We have it at Alapere, we have it at Mobolaji Bank Anthony, at Allen Avenue Roundabout, we have automatic number plate recognition, those cameras are there, that is where LASTMA is going, that is where Lagos State is going.

The interest and welfarism of our staff is paramount to us, what we do, we don’t cover our men up if they are found wanting, whenever they go against the law, we make sure we don’t condone indiscipline in all it’s ramifications, any unprofessional conduct we allow the law to take its course, the case you referred to, it must have taken place before I took over the agency, but be that as it may, I am responsible for both assets and liabilities, so after this interview tell the woman to get across to me.

Then the driver test, which is psychiatric test, that is what LASTMA started with, in the year 2000 when traffic issues were rampant, Whenever a driver was arrested for traffic offence he was sent for a psychiatric test so that the hospital could evaluate the brain system, but as time unfolds, the agency is being careful in terms of the legal system, in terms of litigations, they are working on it, the legal team of the ministry of transportation and LASTMA are on it, very soon they will come out strong if we continue with stiffer measures because, they are touching on the legal implications, you know this is an era of justice and social media.

Your advice for Lagosians and road users

Traffic Management is a shared responsibility. Lagos State Government, LASTMA cannot do it alone, everybody must endeavour to ensure that they play their parts at all times, at all times let them obey traffic rules and regulations, uphold optimal safety standards, LASTMA officials are on the road to ensure seamless movement of persons, goods and services across the nooks and crannies of Lagos State.