LASTMA Warns Officials Against Corrupt Practices 

By Felix Kuyinu

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, has warned its officers against involving themselves in any form of corrupt practices while discharging their duties.

The agency’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, gave the caution stating that there necessary sanctions awaiting any official caught in the act.

Bakare-Oki stated this on Thursday during the opening ceremony of a three-day training course for the agency’s cadet officers at Idimu area of the state.

He said, “Any of our men that are caught in any illicit act, especially accepting bribes from citizens, such person will face disciplinary action, and they know the outcome is not palatable.”

Reacting to the training program, the LASTMA GM said the training would be continuous in order to have an improved service in the state. He said the agency is keen on an improvement in free flow of traffic, and seamless movement of goods and services.

“The training is continuous,” he said.

“For three months, the training of LASTMA officials has been ongoing, and we are not going to stop. The whole idea is to have a better LASTMA with a sense of humanity, empathy and respect for the rights of motorists.”

In like terms with Bakare-Oki’s cautionary statement, the Special Adviser on Transportation to the Lagos State Governor, Sola Giwa, said corrupt practices may result to dismissal from service.

Giwa said that the officials are expected to uphold the guidelines of professionalism and ethics as explained by the agency.

He said, “The honest truth is that any workforce that you do not train, you should not expect anything from it.

“There are staff members that have been working with LASTMA for a while, so we are training them on the basis as if we are just recruiting them, they are not new employees.”