LASTMA, FMoW Officials Clash Over Lagos Road Closure
The Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and some military personnel have clashed over the Federal Ministry of Works (FMoW)’s attempt to close the ever-busy Adeniji to Falomo Road.
Reports indicated that the face-off arose from the Federal Controller of Works for Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Keisha’s decision to enlist the Military’s assistance in enforcing the road closure to rehabilitate bad sections of the road.
The showdown between both sides almost snowballed into a major crisis as of the time of filing this report if not for the restraint demonstrated by the Military personnel.
It was gathered that being customary to be given prior information so that the Lagos Ministry of Transportation can communicate to the public by making formal announcement on such closure, LASTMA had engaged and sought an understanding from the FMoW’s authorities.
This is as a LASTMA official, Omoyeni Oladele, explained that; “If the road is closed without prior announcement by the State to residents, motorists will endure severe hardship.”
However, reacting to the development, a top Lagos State Ministry of Works official, who preferred anonymity to avoid being tagged anti-Federal Government, said this is not the first time the Federal Controller of Works has “employed the military in carrying out her duties.”
Disclosing that the face-off started at midnight, with LASTMA personnel requesting backup from the task force, the official said; “The situation could have escalated into a physical confrontation if the military personnel had not exercised restraint.”
According to him; “We are aware of the current standoff between LASTMA officials and the Federal Ministry of Works regarding the rehabilitation of the Adeniji to Falomo Road.
“The conflict arose from the attempt to close a section of the road without proper notification to the public.
“LASTMA officials insist that the road cannot be closed without sufficient notice to the public, while the FMOW, led by the Controller, remains adamant about the closure and has engaged military personnel to enforce it.”
Meanwhile, repeated calls and text messages to elicit comments on the development from the Federal Controller of Works, Mrs Olukorede Keisha, did not yield positive results as she failed to respond.
However, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Transport, Wale Musa, who confirmed the incident, assured that the Ministry was working to amicably resolve the issue.
According to him; “The General Manager of LASTMA has informed me of the situation. The Honourable Commissioner, the Special Adviser, and I are working to resolve the matter amicably”.
