Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode Tuesday lamented the bad traffic situation in the state. According to him, the state loses N42 Billion yearly due to the chaotic traffic situation caused by the absence of enough manpower to address the traffic situation on the road at peak hours.
Speaking in Abuja at the sixth annual lecture of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Ambode who was represented by the Secretary to the state Government, Tunji Bello said the daily influx of people into the state, economic activities and the few road network is responsible for the chaotic situation
“As we all know, Lagos has become a sprawling megacity, as with all megacities across the world, Lagos is characterized by rapidly growing urbanization and its attendant increase in population.
“Transportation and the concomitant increase in traffic bottlenecks. Therefore, this has become a key component of the challenges posed by an ever increasing population in search of greener pastures as has been the case with Lagos.
“Lagos is the nerve-centre of Nigeria’s socio-economic and industrial activities. In any society, the challenge of rapid urbanisation and population explosion places enormous responsibility on the government and the citizens alike.
“It should therefore be expected that effective and efficient traffic system within the megacity would be the responsibility of everyone in the society,” he said.
Speaking on his LASTMA experience, Ambode said “A peculiar feature of the objective conditions that has defined the ‘LASTMA Experience’ is the challenge of urbanisation which plays critical roles in defining traffic management strategy and approach across the world,” he said
While suggesting solutions to the problem, Ambode urged Nigerians to continue to make traffic laws part of them so that law and order can be maintained on the highways.
Speaking at the event, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi said the FRSC annual lecture series was initiated in October 2009, pursuant to the United Nations call for global action to stem the tide of road traffic crashes and the impact of the menace on the socio-economic conditions of the people of the world, particularly the third world countries.
