SUNRISE NEWS, Lagos, Sept 2, 2020 Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, has blamed the none enforcement of the transport restriction order in the state on the general transfer of security personnel in the state to other parts of the country to quell the growing insecurity nationwide.
He said the shortage of security operatives is responsible for the low level of enforcement of COVID-19 and other restrictions in the transportation sector.
Recall that the return of commercial motorcycles popularly called okada has raised some dust and had been the first signal that government might have withdrawn from enforcing the restriction order on motorcycles on some roads and bridges in the state.
The commissioner added that the situation has made it imperative for individuals to take personal responsibility for their safety against the spread of the deadly infection.
Oladeinde said this during the 12th Lagos State University Virtual Public Lecture organised by the School of Transportation of the University, with the theme: “Staying Safe Against COVID-19 in Public and Private Transportation”.
He however assured that the low enforcement notwithstanding, government was making efforts to reform the public transportation system in order to take ownership of the sector and to provide safe, secured, reliable and affordable transportation alternatives to the people.
“When the pandemic started, we put in place guidelines and restrictions to ensure the safety of commuters in the state. We initially started enforcing these restrictions by arresting those who flout the law. But considering the economic hardship brought about by the pandemic, we decided that rather than arrest offenders, we would embark on massive sensitisation and that is why you see that the state is doing a lot in that area.
“The major challenge we have with enforcement is that our security operatives are inadequate and stretched. Many of the policemen who should ordinarily be enforcing the restrictions have been transferred to states in the North where we have major security challenges.
“We tried to mitigate this by mobilising our security and safety agencies such as Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps, LASTMA and others to fill in that gap. But you know they don’t carry arms, so their effectiveness is limited. “I think that it is important for people to take personal responsibility for their safety. The government will do its part, but ultimately the people have to protect themselves.”
He disclosed that the presence of yellow buses popularly known as danfo on Lagos roads would soon be a thing of the past, as the government was taking steps to reform the transportation sector in line with global best practices.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Apapa Traffic, Kayode Opeifa, had earlier called on the state government to subsidise public transportation to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the economy. He, therefore, called on the government to improve world and national transport indices by ensuring safe, efficient and reliable air, road and water transportation, urging it to revisit the Presidential Report of 2014 on National Policy on Mass Transit in Nigeria.
He also urged the Federal Government to release and implement a report of the review of the Nigeria Automotive Policy of 2014, which unveiled local capacity at manufacturing of large capacity vehicles to aid mass transportation.