• Says agency deployed 1,800 officers for 24-hour traffic operations in Dec.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, has commended media practitioners for their professionalism and commitment to projecting the agency’s activities and statutory responsibilities throughout 2025.
Bakare-Oki said the partnership with journalists across print, broadcast and digital platforms had played a key role in strengthening public confidence, improving awareness and shaping a more informed perception of traffic management and control in Lagos State.
He made the remarks during a review of LASTMA’s engagement with the media, noting that reportage of the agency’s interventions, initiatives and policy directions had largely been objective, balanced and civic-minded.
According to him, feedback transmitted through the media, reflecting public opinion, expert commentary, and stakeholder perspectives, had been largely positive and constructively critical, helping the agency refine policies, strengthen operational frameworks, and support evidence-based decision-making.
Bakare-Oki also disclosed that more than 1,800 LASTMA personnel were deployed under the “LASTMA 24-Hour Night Gangs” initiative to monitor and regulate vehicular movement during the 2025 “Detty December” period.
“The media has remained an indispensable partner in our public enlightenment and behavioural reorientation mandate,” he said, adding that analytical reporting and constructive criticism had contributed to improved institutional thinking and reform processes within the agency.
He further highlighted the inauguration of media practitioners as “LASTMA Media Mayors”, describing the initiative as a progressive engagement strategy that integrates journalists into the practical realities of traffic management, thereby enhancing the accuracy and context of reporting.
“The Media Mayors initiative has strengthened stakeholder engagement, enhanced transparency, promoted public trust and stimulated informed discourse on traffic management challenges and solutions,” he said.
The LASTMA general manager stressed that, as the agency enters a new operational year, the growing complexity of urban mobility in Lagos requires a more resilient partnership with the media, particularly in promoting behavioural change, encouraging voluntary compliance with traffic regulations, and ensuring the real-time dissemination of traffic information.
He reiterated that effective traffic governance in a megacity depends on efficient enforcement, public cooperation and responsible media engagement, and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to transparency, professionalism and sustained stakeholder collaboration in the New Year.
