In a bold move to instill a sustainable traffic culture in Lagos State, top officials from the Lagos State Government and its traffic management agency, LASTMA, have reaffirmed their commitment to educating students on traffic laws and road safety as part of a long-term campaign to reshape road behavior in Nigeria’s most populous state.
In an interview with journalists at the Lagos State School Traffic Safety Advocacy Programme (LASTSAP) Essay Competition organised by LASTMA to mark its 25th anniversary, Shola Giwa, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Sustainable Transportation, emphasized the urgency of introducing traffic education at an early age.
“I think it’s very simple and there’s no rocket science. The most important thing is catching them young,” Giwa said.
“We understand that traffic management or transportation generally and how we react to it, how we interact with it, is a cultural thing… So, this is part of what we are trying to do, catching them young, imbibing the culture of traffic management into these young people.”
Giwa explained that by instilling the values of traffic discipline early, children grow into adults who inherently respect traffic laws—whether as private drivers or commercial motorists.
“Say, for example, we know that most professional drivers probably don’t really go beyond secondary school. So, if already they’ve imbibed that culture of traffic management… it’s already a part of them,” he said.
He added a personal anecdote illustrating the initiative’s impact: “I’m in my car with one of my kids who has gone through this… and I’m driving against traffic. What is he going to say? ‘Daddy, why are you driving against traffic? They taught us in school not to drive against traffic.’ That’s what we are trying to do.”
Olalekan Bakare-Oki, General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), echoed this sentiment, highlighting the long-term societal benefits of the campaign.
“The take-home is they should always endeavour to abide by traffic rules and regulations and ultimately uphold high standards of safety whenever they want to use the road,” Bakare-Oki stated.
He noted that the programme, tied to the agency’s 25th anniversary, was strategic and forward-looking: “Ultimately, if we are able to get it right with these kids, the future of Lagos, the future of the country is secure.”
LASTMA, he affirmed, is unwavering in its mission: “We have our position and we are not going to relent until we get the best out of these students whenever they are on the road.”
Afe Opeyemi, Assistant Comptroller and Provost Marshall of LASTMA, underscored the potential of this youth-focused strategy in curbing future road accidents and fostering road discipline.
“It’s going to be very effective… if we catch them young now, and we teach them properly, we are sure that we have people that will use the roads properly in the future,” she said.
“We are sure that we have less road carnages… people that will abide by the rules… and we are also sure that we have people that will be able to tell their parents that they should do it right.”
Opeyemi believes children today are more outspoken and influential within families, particularly when it comes to issues they learn in school.
“They can talk to their parents easily. They can tell their parents, ‘Ah daddy, you are on the pedestrian crossing, you are not supposed to stand there.’ And we know these children, when they talk to us, we don’t have any choice than to listen.”
When asked about integrating this initiative into the formal education system, Opeyemi confirmed ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Education:
“Yes, the Ministry of Education is actually working towards that, to put that as part of the school curriculum. We already have road safety clubs in schools… There is a programme that is already ongoing, which is geared towards inculcating traffic education in the school curriculum.”
She added that the programme is built to last: “It’s not just going to be short term. It’s something that is going to be sustained and will become a culture in our educational system.”
Opeyemi also expressed delight at the performance of students—especially those from public schools—at the event.
“These children, the bulk of them are from public schools and they spoke very, very well… So I’m like, wow, I think I’ll save myself some money and take my children to public schools.”
“This is what we want. This is the dream of every parent and they have been able to make their parents and their teachers proud.”
