Lagos to amend transport sector law – Attorney General

Laws should correct, not destroy, says Jandor

The Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, yesterday, said the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law (2018) is currently being reviewed by the Lagos State House of Assembly for amendment.

The development might not be unconnected with the outrage that greeted the auctioning of abandoned and forfeited vehicles by the Lagos State government for traffic offences. This was made known by Onigbanjo while appearing on a Channels Television morning programme, Sunrise Daily.

Onigbanjo said: “The amendments to the transport Law are currently being reviewed by the House of Assembly and will be in place as soon as possible. This issue of driving against traffic has become such a nuisance, danger and menace to society that something drastic has to be done and the legislators at that time imposed these penalties.

“There is a process to amend the law. People can go up to their representatives in the Assembly and make agitations that in our view, this is draconian and we think you should change the law. That could kick-start the process but right now, there is a process to review the law.’’

The Commissioner, however, maintained that such is the law as of today and as such advised people not to jeopardise it in their own interest. Onigbanjo warned commercial drivers and other motorists not to jeopardise their means of livelihood by flouting traffic laws and killing innocent road users and passers-by in the process.

“If you see the Lady of Justice, it is blindfolded, it doesn’t look at emotions; the law does not look at emotions. Why risk your means of livelihood if you know it is the only thing you have to sustain yourself economically? Why risk it by breaching the law?”

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdul-Azeez Adediran, aka Jandor, in a statement, yesterday said the ongoing amendment of the traffic law has vindicated his position that the essence of the law should be to correct offenders and deter others but not to destroy them by taking away their means of survival.

“The People’s Governor will continue to advocate and protect the interest of the good people of Lagos while they patiently endure the remaining days of the APC-led government in office.”