The Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum (CARF) under the aegis of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in collaboration with Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), has urged the Lagos State transportation law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties with a human face.
Stakeholders present at the May edition of CARF, took this stance while reviewing the alleged less civil conducts of some officials of the state apparatus to commuters on a daily basis.
According to the community leaders who laid bare their view about the theme of the parley: Managing Transportation in Lagos as a Mega City: Opportunities and Challenges, the highhandedness of the officers at various times had grave cost for commuters and such should not continue unabated.
A Deaconess and a Pastor Tunde Odesiji from Bearer of God’s Grace Ministry jointly counseled the state enforcement agencies present urging them to apply humane posture in the conduct of their duty as human being are difficult to control, citing an instance when he and family members had their cars towed for no verified infraction.
“People are the most difficult to control even in Churches but please as you do your job, let it have a human face, coercion should not be your instrument of service, a measure of civility is required.”
Another stakeholder from Oshodi area of the state was quick to add that when officials conduct themselves properly a sane society will be the end result.
They also made mention of market traders who often take crowd the road median from five in the evening, denying motorists and other commuters access the road facilities, as well as the LAWMA trucks packed on the roads.
The representative of the state transportation law enforcement agencies present at the fora includes the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS).
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Political legislative and Civic Engagement Dr. Abiodun Afolabi was also ably represented at the gathering.
CARF convener Comrade Debo Adeniran corroborated the stance of the stakeholders, adding that the group will not hesitate to make frantic efforts in sanitizing the agencies, where any poor conduct that undermines their image occurs.
“There are instances where the traffic lights malfunctions but your men will lay ambush for innocent motorist, to extort them, discretion ought to be applied here but people still fall victim, this forum intends to help halt the spate of attacks on your officers, so that decent men amongst them will not be assaulted by irate members of the public.
“I urge the public who likes to ply the waterway to always make use of the life jackets availed by the agency in charge if they don’t have one as their safety matters most.
Adeniran maintained basic road signs and furniture must be availed so that commuters especially drivers will be not innocently falling victim of infractions they have no prior knowledge or warning about.
He asserts that where there is enough signage and indicators on the road as well as functional traffic lights, sanity will be restored to our roads, and presence of personnel of the enforcement agencies will be minimal, if need be, for any at all.
The LASTMA Director Logistics and Engineering Mr. Oshodi Jubril Adeyemi while responding to comments at the fora harped on the importance of the Integrated, Intramodal Transport System to the state government adding that a complaint centre will soon be opened to the public to address the grey areas.
He affirmed that LASTMA frowns at any move that runs contrary to its operational model, and has made frantic effort to ensure sanity in the transportation sector of the state. He urged the group to intimate them with information of bad eggs amongst officers promising prompt corrective measure.
Engineer Olayemi Olumide VIS Head, Planning, Research and Development relayed the functional models of the body citing the four ‘S’ Sanity, Standard, Safety and Security as well as the three ‘F’ that entails Friendliness, Firmness and Fairness, he opined that the state’s investment in Automated Number Plate Recognition has paid off greatly, leading to easy operation as traffic flows seamlessly even as they do their jobs on the roads.
He however, raised concern on why the NURTW and RTEAN members were absent at the fora.