Says educating them critical to reducing accidents, fostering responsible citizenship

Lagos State Government has said that educating children on road safety remains critical to reducing accidents and fostering responsible citizenship.

The state’s Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, stated this yesterday while featuring on a road safety and transport awareness session for pupils of St. Saviour’s School, Ikoyi, where storytelling, adventure and practical demonstrations were used to teach essential road safety principles.

Osiyemi said, “The future of road safety starts with education. When children understand safety, awareness and responsibility from a young age, they become better road users and responsible citizens.”

He, therefore, called for stronger collaboration between government agencies and private organisations to deliver road safety messages in creative and engaging ways that children can easily understand and remember.

The school outreach on road safety was executed in partnership with children’s educational brand, Lumi, to strengthen road safety awareness among schoolchildren through an interactive learning initiative aimed at raising a generation of responsible and safety-conscious road users.

The programme was facilitated by Pelumi Nubi, founder of Lumi, who is Lagos State Tourism Ambassador and the first woman to complete a solo 10,000-kilometre drive from London to Lagos.

She said that her experience inspired the creation of Lumi, a purple cartoon car designed to teach children courage, curiosity, kindness and an understanding of the world through storytelling.

During the session, pupils were taught safe pedestrian practices, the meaning of traffic lights, road signs and pedestrian crossings, as well as safety measures when using buses, trains and ferries.

The programme also encouraged children to make responsible travel decisions while building confidence and civic responsibility.