— Media Practitioners Inducted as Traffic Mayors to Synergise with LASTMA in Advancing an Integrated, Seamless, and Orderly Transportation Ecosystem in Lagos
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), under the astute and visionary stewardship of its General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, has formally inaugurated a novel and transformative initiative — the induction of eminent Media Practitioners as “Traffic Mayors.” This pathbreaking endeavour is designed to fortify and complement the relentless exertions of LASTMA officers in the formidable yet indispensable enterprise of ensuring traffic order, safety, and mobility across the State.
This pioneering scheme represents an unprecedented synthesis of media advocacy and operational enforcement, strategically leveraging the communicative authority of the press to stimulate heightened public compliance, promote civic enlightenment, and engender a profound reorientation of behavioural attitudes on Lagos roads.
In his keynote address at the inauguration, Mr. Bakare-Oki accentuated the irreplaceable role of the media as both architects of public consciousness and catalysts for societal transformation. He affirmed that the “Traffic Mayor” initiative constitutes an epoch-making milestone in the State’s quest to entrench a sustainable framework for traffic governance—one in which media professionals transcend their conventional role as purveyors of information to assume the mantle of ambassadors of orderliness, exemplars of civic discipline, and custodians of public morality in Lagos’ transportation architecture.
“This initiative is a deliberate and far-sighted attempt to broaden the frontiers of stakeholder engagement by embedding media practitioners—individuals whose voices command immense resonance in society—as active participants in the crusade for traffic sanity. Their induction as ‘Traffic Mayors’ augments the moral suasion dimension of our operations and will significantly deepen the culture of voluntary compliance among motorists,” the General Manager declared.
Under this collaborative framework, Traffic Mayors will operate in organic symbiosis with LASTMA officers—sensitising the motoring public, amplifying traffic advisories, countering misinformation, and embodying the ideals of lawful conduct on Lagos roads.
This initiative, therefore, extends LASTMA’s operational reach while simultaneously enhancing the credibility and acceptability of its enforcement strategies through a fortified media-agency partnership.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director of Traffic Advocacy and Special Mayor, Mr. Awoyemi Jimmy, lauded the initiative as an administrative innovation of monumental consequence. He stressed that traffic management in a labyrinthine megacity such as Lagos cannot be sustained through enforcement alone, but must be anchored on enduring partnerships with thought leaders, media vanguards, and civic stakeholders.
He further affirmed that the Lagos State Government, under the transformative and people-centric governance of Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, remains irrevocably committed to deploying multifaceted solutions that guarantee seamless urban mobility, stimulate socio-economic productivity, and safeguard the dignity of every Lagosian navigating the metropolis.
The “Traffic Mayor” initiative thus inaugurates a new epoch in the annals of traffic governance in Lagos State—an epoch where enforcement, advocacy, and mass enlightenment converge under a singular banner of orderliness, safety, and progress.
For prompt response to emergencies, road accidents, or any traffic-related concerns, kindly contact LASTMA via its multilingual toll-free hotline 080000527862, available in Yoruba, English, and Pidgin.
