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| Gov. Ambode |
The government, yesterday, threated
to serve appropriate punishment to those who refused to obey.
Speaking during a joint enforcement
carried out in the axis by LASTMA and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the
Lagos Police Command, General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olawale Musa, said the
state government had been inundated with several reports of motorists driving
against traffic in the corridor. He said that government would no longer allow
such illegality to continue.
While addressing the aviation
stakeholders, which included members of the Murtala Mohammed International
Airport chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents and the
National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Musa said it
had been observed that operators in the axis and members of the public were
flouting the State Traffic Law with attendant dangers on other road users.
He said the development was also
hindering the ongoing massive expansion and reconstruction of the Airport Road
being undertaken by the state government.
Musa said: “As people are aware,
there is ongoing expansion of the Airport Road and we have deployed our men
strategically along the axis to ease traffic. Along the line, we saw that we
are having this challenge of people passing one way from the Hajj Camp end and
every time our men challenge them, they tell us Federal Airport Authority of
Nigeria (FAAN) gave them the authority to pass one way. They even challenge us,
saying it was a federal road and that state law does not apply.
“We believe that should not happen
and we went there to see what was happening. We actually saw people plying one
way, but we are very sure that FAAN cannot tell anybody to flout the laws of
the land. We have held discussions with them and we understand their
challenge, which is basically the need for a U-turn while the new construction
work is ongoing. We will try and help them to solve the problem, but we will
not allow anybody to pass one way in the axis. The dangers in doing so are of
greater proportion and the State Government cannot allow people to break the
law with impunity.”
He added that another meeting had
been scheduled between LASTMA, the contractor handling the Airport Road and the
aviation stakeholders to resolve the issue raised by the operators, but
insisted that the agency would not allow anybody to pass one way in the axis.
Also speaking, RRS Commander, ACP
Olatunji Disu said the police would work with LASTMA to ensure sanity and
compliance with the relevant traffic laws in the axis and all parts of the
State.
Disu said: “We will not close our
eyes to people flouting the laws of the land. I have the instruction of the
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, to assist LASTMA
officers to ensure that we stop this, and that is exactly what we have done
today.”
The operation was led by the Chief
Executive Officer of LASTMA, Mr. Chris Olakpe, a retired Assistant Inspector
General of Police.
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