Gridlock: LASTMA saves over ₦430Bn annually from man-hour loss, Giwa

.As agency deploys over 4,100 officers to boost safety during Yuletide

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Government has revealed that officers of the State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, annually, prevent economic losses estimated at over ₦430 billion through effective congestion management and gridlock prevention across the metropolis.

However, it stressed the need for collaborative efforts among motorists as well as stakeholders in the transport sector to ensure maximum safety on the roads, particularly, during the high-risk year-end season characterized with festivities.

The Special Adviser to the state Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, made the remarks, when he led senior officials of the State Government, traffic management officers, and critical stakeholders to officially flag-off the year “2025 Ember Month Safety Campaign,” of LASTMA, held at the agency’s headquarters, Oshodi, area of the State.

Giwa explained that the forum was part of efforts by the State government’s geared towards educating and enlightening motorists and other members of the public on the need for safety consciousness and strict compliance to all traffic regulations.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ forum, he reiterated State’s commitment to safer and smarter mobility, adding that “The campaign represents more than a yearly ritual — it underscores the state’s renewed human-centred traffic management focus under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.”

The forum, themed; “Safe Roads, Safe Lives — LASTMA Cares,” he said, “The campaign embodies the human-centered approach of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration toward ensuring road safety, traffic orderliness, and public welfare before, during and after the high-risk Ember Months a period traditionally characterized by increased mobility, heightened commercial activities, and intensified vehicular pressure on the Lagos road network.”

Giwa, described the event as not merely as another annual ritual, but as “a solemn reaffirmation of our government’s steadfast resolve to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of residents through disciplined traffic management, preventive education, and humane enforcement.”

According to him, “Empirical data affirms that each LASTMA officer helps prevent economic losses estimated at over ₦85 million annually through congestion management and gridlock prevention.

“When multiplied across the authority’s operational strength, this translates to a staggering ₦430 billion in saved man-hours, a contribution that underpins Lagos’ ₦41 trillion Gross Domestic Product, GDP.

“Our LASTMA officers are not just enforcers of road discipline, they are economic stabilizers, public educators, and protectors of human dignity. Every hour they recover from gridlock is an hour returned to productivity; every accident they prevent is a life preserved.”

Repositioning LASTMA as a pillar of economic stability, the Special Adviser, extolled the crucial role played by LASTMA in sustaining the economic heartbeat of Lagos, noting that; “With over 4,100 LASTMA officers deployed across Lagos, the agency serves as the silent economic engine sustaining the state’s daily productivity.”

Giwa, observed that the current season brings an exponential rise in road usage, inter-state travel, and commercial mobility, particularly as residents in the Diaspora return home for festivities.

He said, “Passenger inflow through our airports and inter-state corridors increases by nearly 30 per cent during this period. Markets, event centers, and commercial corridors experience unusual vehicular surges that put immense pressure on our road infrastructure. It is, therefore, imperative for LASTMA to remain proactive, not reactive.”

Giwa declared, “Safety is not seasonal it is cultural. Let us make the right driving attitude the new Lagos identity. Compliance is not punishment; it is partnership. Every Lagosian must internalize the message that safe roads guarantee safe lives because indeed, LASTMA cares.”

General Manager, LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, reaffirmed the agency’s

reaffirmed the agency’s resolute commitment to achieving zero accidents, zero fatalities, and zero excuses during the 2025 ember months.

Bakare-Oki said the forum as a crucial platform that unites transport unions, law enforcement agencies, and the motoring public in the shared mission of reducing road accidents during the busy year-end season.

He stated that Lagos now hosts over 5.2 million registered vehicles, representing nearly 40 per cent of Nigeria’s total vehicular population.

This, Bakare-Oki, noted, makes the state particularly vulnerable to traffic congestion and accidents, especially during the ember period when movement and commercial activity surge.

LASTMA boss, described the forum as a coalition of critical partners transport unions, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and the media united by a shared mission to preserve human life during the high-risk period.

He lauded Governor Sanwo-Olu’s visionary leadership, which has strengthened LASTMA’s operational efficiency through drone surveillance, body-worn cameras, and enhanced emergency logistics.

Urging motorists to exercise discipline, patience, and empathy, Bkare-Oki stressed that road safety is a shared civic duty, hence, “Safety is not seasonal but cultural Safe Roads mean Safe Lives, because LASTMA truly cares.”

Stakeholders at the forum include: the Nigerian Army, the police, the Federal Road Safety Corps, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, school children, among others.

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