Fashola canvasses voluntary traffic law compliance
GOVERNOR
Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has called for voluntary compliance
rather than opting for punishment in the new Lagos State traffic law.
In the same vein, the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described Lagos PDP’s faulting of the new Lagos traffic laws as confused and typical of the directionless state of the state chapter of the PDP.
Fashola added that the traffic law was meant to curtail reckless driving among drivers in the state, saying that it was one of the strategies adopted to make Lagos a mega city.
The governor made the call at the 43rd Bi-conference of the Methodist Church of Nigeria with the theme, “I will do a new thing” held at the Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba yesterday.
Fashola said that some of the sanctions for the traffic offences were more of community service while extreme punishments were designed for habitual offenders.
In a statement in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that what remained of the PDP in Lagos is that it thinks it can source political strength through bland and uninformed criticism of every action of the Lagos State government.
It advised the PDP to stop thinking it would constitute a cog in the wheel of progress in Lagos by its often specious reactions to actions of the Lagos State with the hope it would sow sufficient bad blood against the government in the minds of Lagosians.
He added: “It is curious to read the Lagos PDP’s ludicrous claim that the new traffic laws are ambiguous without pointing out the ambiguity in the well elucidated laws. We are aware that the Lagos State government has mapped out extensive enlightenment exercises by the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) to acquaint Lagosians of these new laws before starting implementation. We are aware that far reaching media campaigns and enlightenment of these laws are presently going on and we wonder why Lagos PDP could indulge on the mischief of alleging that the law is hidden from the public, if not to sow mischief among Lagosians.
“Lagos ACN is well convinced that what decides PDP’s reactions on issues that concern Lagos is the indecent urge and desire to corner the state for its selfish purposes and not the interest of Lagosians.
“This has made the PDP to engage in awkward trading of lies, mischief and tendentious allegations with the hope that they will sever the bond that binds Lagosians with the ACN. In the issue in focus, such permanent state of selfish-driven mischief is exhibited where the PDP came out to criticise a well founded law meant to ease the traffic problems on Lagos roads, save the lives of thousands of Lagosians and save precious man hours lost to intractable traffic bottlenecks with the hollow allegation that Lagosians are not aware of the provisions of the law.”
This is despite of the fact that the Lagos State government is engaged in elaborate public enlightenment efforts to sensitise Lagosians of the law before it starts its operations, Igbokwe stressed.
The party added: “We want to advice the good people of Lagos to beware of the leaven of the PDP for it does not bode good for Lagosians. We want to let them know that the new traffic laws were enacted to sanitise road usage in Lagos, drastically reduce the high rates of accidents and deaths on Lagos roads.
“The law was enacted for the safety and well being of Lagosians and seeks to impart desirable codes of conduct on Lagos drivers and we wonder why any responsible party that purports to seek to govern Lagos should quarrel with this if not to impose a state of bedlam and horror on Lagos roads.
In the same vein, the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described Lagos PDP’s faulting of the new Lagos traffic laws as confused and typical of the directionless state of the state chapter of the PDP.
Fashola added that the traffic law was meant to curtail reckless driving among drivers in the state, saying that it was one of the strategies adopted to make Lagos a mega city.
The governor made the call at the 43rd Bi-conference of the Methodist Church of Nigeria with the theme, “I will do a new thing” held at the Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Cathedral, Yaba yesterday.
Fashola said that some of the sanctions for the traffic offences were more of community service while extreme punishments were designed for habitual offenders.
In a statement in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that what remained of the PDP in Lagos is that it thinks it can source political strength through bland and uninformed criticism of every action of the Lagos State government.
It advised the PDP to stop thinking it would constitute a cog in the wheel of progress in Lagos by its often specious reactions to actions of the Lagos State with the hope it would sow sufficient bad blood against the government in the minds of Lagosians.
He added: “It is curious to read the Lagos PDP’s ludicrous claim that the new traffic laws are ambiguous without pointing out the ambiguity in the well elucidated laws. We are aware that the Lagos State government has mapped out extensive enlightenment exercises by the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) to acquaint Lagosians of these new laws before starting implementation. We are aware that far reaching media campaigns and enlightenment of these laws are presently going on and we wonder why Lagos PDP could indulge on the mischief of alleging that the law is hidden from the public, if not to sow mischief among Lagosians.
“Lagos ACN is well convinced that what decides PDP’s reactions on issues that concern Lagos is the indecent urge and desire to corner the state for its selfish purposes and not the interest of Lagosians.
“This has made the PDP to engage in awkward trading of lies, mischief and tendentious allegations with the hope that they will sever the bond that binds Lagosians with the ACN. In the issue in focus, such permanent state of selfish-driven mischief is exhibited where the PDP came out to criticise a well founded law meant to ease the traffic problems on Lagos roads, save the lives of thousands of Lagosians and save precious man hours lost to intractable traffic bottlenecks with the hollow allegation that Lagosians are not aware of the provisions of the law.”
This is despite of the fact that the Lagos State government is engaged in elaborate public enlightenment efforts to sensitise Lagosians of the law before it starts its operations, Igbokwe stressed.
The party added: “We want to advice the good people of Lagos to beware of the leaven of the PDP for it does not bode good for Lagosians. We want to let them know that the new traffic laws were enacted to sanitise road usage in Lagos, drastically reduce the high rates of accidents and deaths on Lagos roads.
“The law was enacted for the safety and well being of Lagosians and seeks to impart desirable codes of conduct on Lagos drivers and we wonder why any responsible party that purports to seek to govern Lagos should quarrel with this if not to impose a state of bedlam and horror on Lagos roads.
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