Amid increasing difficulty driving around Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the state, has declared a state of emergency on traffic management and control in the state.
Odumosu has also ordered the immediate deployment of additional one thousand police personnel to mount various points on major roads across the state towards ensuring better flow of vehicular traffic in Nigeria’s commercial city.
Presently, traffic situation in Lagos is such that journeys of 30 to 50 minutes now take between four and five hours, leaving motorists and commuters stuck on the road. The situation is being worsened by construction work, potholes, poor traffic management, bad driving and the inability of concerned authorities to effectively enforce traffic laws, leading to motorcycles, tricycles and cars driving in chaotic manner and against traffic flow in some cases.
Odumosu, who recently resumed duty, summoned an emergency meeting at the police headquarters, GRA, Ikeja, involving senior officers to review the current traffic situation in the state.
In attendance at the meeting where critical decisions were taken were deputy commissioners of police, area commanders, area operations officers, state traffic officer, divisional traffic officers and the chairman Lagos State taskforce on environmental and special offences, among others.
The meeting reviewed the time for duty report for traffic officers to take care of the peak hours. Accordingly, traffic duties officers will run shifts between 10am and 10pm while the second shift will be 10pm to 10am, providing 24hours coverage. They will all operate in their usual reflective jackets.
The measure will help in ensuring free flow of traffic and will also curb the menace of traffic robbery.
The CP called on Lagosians to accord police personnel on traffic duties maximum cooperation, stressing that it was imperative for all road users to obey the traffic laws of the state.
JOSHUA BASSEY
