Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned proprietors and operators of event centres, nightclubs, recreational lounges and organisers of all categories of social gatherings within Lagos State to stop traffic obstruction.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, gave the warning during his strategic surveillance and on-the-spot inspections at various high-traffic corridors across the metropolis.
Bakare-Oki expressed dismay at the persistent trend in which glitzy events and festive assemblages flagrantly encroach on public roadways, thereby causing preventable traffic snarls, jeopardising emergency access routes, and subjecting commuters to stress.
According to him, Lagos under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, remains resolute in its mandate to uphold order, discipline and equity on the roads.
He cautioned that the state would no longer condone the unbridled conversion of public spaces into parking extensions or spillover zones for commercial entertainment.
“It is both necessary and urgent to reassert, in categorical terms, that no individual, corporate body or event organiser, regardless of stature or affiliation, has the prerogative to appropriate public roadways as ancillary extensions of their private ventures or leisure domains,” Bakare-Oki warned.
The GM stressed that any venue, be it a club, banquet hall or social arena, found guilty of wilful obstruction through indiscriminate parking, illegal closure of access roads or encroachment on road shoulders would be subject to immediate punitive measures with full-scale legal prosecution.
To bolster compliance and proactive intervention, he instructed all LASTMA Zonal Commanders and Monitoring Units to scale up intelligence gathering, intensify patrols, and deploy traffic officers to strategic hotspots particularly during weekends, festivities and high-capacity evening events.
He encouraged members of the public to promptly report violations via the agency’s dedicated toll-free emergency line.
Bakare-Oki also urged owners of hospitality and entertainment establishments to demonstrate responsible corporate citizenship by engaging certified traffic personnel or, where necessary, designing detailed traffic management blueprints in consultation with LASTMA prior to hosting large-scale gatherings.
“As Lagos continues to integrate technology into its urban infrastructure transforming transportation, digital governance and public service delivery, it becomes increasingly imperative for all residents and stakeholders to embrace a culture of discipline, respect for civic order, and responsible use of shared infrastructure,” he remarked.
“Traffic gridlocks arising from unregulated social activities constitute an egregious affront to collective wellbeing and a needless impediment to the city’s economic momentum.”
He affirmed that LASTMA’s enforcement campaign would be impartial, rigorous and anchored in statutory provisions governing traffic control and environmental regulation across Lagos.
The GM reiterated the agency’s unwavering commitment to collaborating with security agencies and other regulatory institutions in sustaining a zero-tolerance stance towards all forms of road encroachment and obstruction regardless of the social or commercial context.
He called upon all stakeholders within the hospitality, entertainment band event management sectors to act with foresight and civic integrity by adhering strictly to established traffic protocols.
“By doing so, they will be contributing meaningfully to the creation of a more orderly, navigable and livable Lagos,” he added.
