In a gesture profoundly anchored in reverence and institutional remembrance, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), under the eminent leadership of its General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, undertook a courtesy visit to the first and pioneer Chief Executive Officer of the Authority and retired Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Yemi Odubela.
The historic visit, suffused with warmth and nostalgia, served as a ceremonial homage to one whose visionary stewardship and resolute foresight were instrumental in crystallizing the foundational blueprint of LASTMA, an agency that has since burgeoned into a continental exemplar of traffic management and regulatory order.
Speaking during the courtesy visit Mr. Bakare-Oki extolled the steadfastness, pioneering courage, and sagacious leadership of Mr. Odubela in laying the indelible cornerstones upon which LASTMA’s operational philosophy of service, discipline, and innovation has endured.
He remarked that the principles and doctrines instituted by the pioneer Chief Executive Officer remain permanently inscribed in the Authority’s institutional DNA, guiding its evolution as a citadel of efficiency and public service.
In symbolic recognition of these seminal contributions, the General Manager presented Mr. Odubela with a commemorative Trooper-on-Bike Plaque, emblematic of LASTMA’s vigilance, resilience, and unwavering commitment to humanity’s collective safety.
He further invoked prayers for the elder statesman’s continued vitality, longevity, and divine blessings, reaffirming the management’s resolute commitment to safeguarding and advancing the ideals upon which the Authority was originally founded.
The event reached its zenith with reciprocal expressions of goodwill. Mr. Odubela, visibly gratified, described the visit as both a reaffirmation of continuity and a testament to the institutional memory of LASTMA.
He enjoined officers of the Authority to deepen their dedication to service, eschew every disposition capable of tarnishing the Agency’s image, and embody the ethos of integrity and professionalism.
In his remarks, he commended the current leadership of Mr. Bakare-Oki for his relentless endeavour in restoring the Agency’s glory and reasserting its primacy in traffic administration and road safety.
He also seized the moment to pay homage to the foresight of the then Governor of Lagos State—now President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu—for affording him the opportunity to contribute to the infrastructural and administrative renaissance of Lagos State.
According to Mr. Odubela, “I am profoundly elated to witness the Agency whose foundation I laid not only endure but ascend into becoming the foremost traffic management institution of reckoning within the Federation.”
The visit concluded on a note of solemn celebration and mutual appreciation, reinforcing LASTMA’s intergenerational bond of respect and its collective resolve to sustain the Agency’s noble mission of order, discipline, and service in the bustling metropolis of Lagos State.
Adebayo Taofiq
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA
