Lagos begins construction of lay-bys to ease traffic

• Recruits 149 consultants, votes N1b for staff training

Sin a bold effort to ease traffic congestion on the highways within the metropolis, the Lagos State Ministry for Transportation (MOT) has embarked on the construction of multiple lay-bys (diversion from main road to a more convenient space for commuters, either to load or offload passengers) across the state.

Introduction of the initiative has started to yield results along Third Mainland Bridge’s end of Iyana Oworonshoki, a major traffic trajectory within the city noted for gridlock.

Explaining the rationale for the construction of the lay-bys, especially, the Oworonshoki-Alapere-Old Toll gate axis, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, stated that from the ministry’s assessment, Iyana Oworo lay-by is inadequate and in deplorable state, thereby causing traffic hold-up.

He stated that the acquisition of Lagos Mainland office of Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing effectively addressed the usual traffic logjam, adding that this initiative would also be introduced in other areas of the state like Car Wash and Alapere.

Meanwhile, the state government has recruited 149 consultants and earmarked N1 billion for training of workers this year.Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson, disclosed this yesterday at the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) at Magodo.

Benson, after addressing staff undergoing training on “Strategic Corporate Planning in the Public Sector for Senior Officers,” said government, in its bid to ensure that workers were appropriately trained, increased training fund from N149 million in 2015 to N1 billion for this year.

He added that a total of 149 consultants were selected from the 540 consultants who turned in applications.Represented by the Director of Training, Office of Establishments and Training, Liafiz Aruna, the commissioner said government embarked on aggressive training in order to keep the employees abreast with a 21st century knowledge-driven economy.

The amount of information gathered determines how you are able to fit into the system. Things are changing and Lagos State, as a mega-city, has redoubled the training of staff to meet up with the 21st century demand”, he noted.

Benson said it was not possible for government to train all staff at once, but that it was training a critical mass of civil servants, who would in turn impact the knowledge on others in order to ensure a better administration.

He added that about 80-85 per cent of government workers had been slated for training in batches, disclosing that 10 different consultants had been involved in the exercise in the last two weeks.Benson stated that most of the people being trained were senior staff from Grade Level 13 and above, who would in turn train junior workers.