Lagos to restrict movement for Saturday LG poll

.Unveils 20-year strategic blueprint for traffic mgt

IBRAHIM QUADRI

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr Sola Giwa, says the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) will unveil an ambitious 20-year strategic blueprint for traffic management in the state.

Giwa said this at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos in commemoration of LASTMA’s 25th anniversary.

According to Giwa, the blueprint seeks to recalibrate LASTMA’s systems in anticipation of intensifying urbanisation and future vehicular demands.

He said the conference with the theme: “Enhancing Traffic Efficiency and Safety on Lagos Roads: Challenges, Opportunities and Innovations,” underscores the strategic alignment with smart governance, participatory policymaking, and digital innovation.

“As we commemorate this historic milestone, let me reaffirm that LASTMA remains irrevocably committed to its mandate: fostering safer roads, enforcing lawful conducts and elevating the commuting experience in Lagos.

“Traffic management, as we continue to stress, is not an adversarial endeavour—it is a shared civic enterprise requiring the collective participation of government, citizens, and the private sectors.

He said the epochal occasion would serve as an opportunity for solemn retrospection, thoughtful acknowledgement of institutional milestones, and a renewed affirmation of unwavering commitment to public service excellence in the ever-evolving terrain of traffic management.

He highlighted the most salient achievements in the past 25 years of LASTMA’s existence to include; digital transformation and technological innovation, capacity enhancement and professional development, excellence in emergency response and incident management.

Others include public enlightenment and advocacy engagement, inter-agency synergy and regulatory harmonisation and infrastructure expansion and operational visibility.

He noted that from inception, LASTMA had metamorphosed into a formidable force within the ecosystem of urban transportation, improving commuting time, fostering road safety, enhancing enforcement protocols, and championing transportation reforms.

He attributed LASTMA’s achievements to astute leadership and institutional foresight of those who had stewarded the agency over the years.

He said LASTMA, conceived in the year 2000, had grown into a formidable force with over 4,000  dedicated operatives strategically deployed across Lagos to ensure traffic flow, dislodge congestion, respond to emergencies, and enforce extant road traffic laws.

“I assert with conviction that LASTMA is no longer merely an intervention agency, it is a reference model for traffic management, emulated across Nigeria and studied internationally,” he said.

Giwa said the forthcoming second Lagos Traffic Conference, scheduled for July 15 at Eko Hotels and Suites, would constitute the intellectual fulcrum of the anniversary celebration.

“This high-level convocation will assemble a constellation of policymakers, transport technocrats, academics, development experts, and civic leaders—both domestic and international—to interrogate prevailing mobility challenges and recreate pragmatic, forward-thinking solutions.

“We will celebrate this moment not only as a triumph of the past but as a clarion call to greater responsibility in the future. May the road ahead be one of vision, vigilance, and veritable progress,” he said.

Also speaking, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reassured Lagos residents, especially motorists of more vibrant, resourceful and service oriented organisation moving forward.

“Part of what we are going to project at the celebration of the anniversary is looking into the future, to project traffic management in the next two decades.

“In the next two years, we will ensure that we fully embrace technology for informed decision and planning,” he said.

.Lagos declares restrictions of movement for Saturday LG poll

Ahead of  the Saturday 12th July, 2025 Lagos Local Government Elections, the State Police Command has announced that there will be total restrictions of vehicular movement throughout the State from 3am till 3pm for seamless elections.

According to a statement signed by the Command, the restriction of vehicular movement will apply to all roads and waterways within Lagos State jurisdiction.

Other details for the elections include, prohibition on armed escorts and security, ban on indiscriminate use of sirens and covered number plates.

All other vehicles, including those belonging to any quasi-security outfit and state security agencies are barred from movement, as no state-owned security agency is authorized to participate in the election security operations, in line with the Electoral Act.

However, essential services are allowed such as those on medical emergency and other emergency responders and their workers, the duly accredited officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), and accredited election observers and media practitioners on election coverage accredited by the Lagos State Independence Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

All the security agencies personnel and other stakeholders, including the media and election observers accredited by LASEIC for the election will be in possession and wear their identification tags certified by LASEIC throughout the period of the Election.

The Command hereby sternly warns all miscreants, hoodlums, and thugs to stay away from the polling units, collations centers and other statutory places where the electoral processes are designated to take place throughout the State.

“The public are further encouraged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious persons or activities in their vicinity by promptly contacting the police via the designated emergency lines: 08063299264 or 08065154338.

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