By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Lagos ​State government has promised to put in place stronger safety measures after a gas tanker explosion on Otedola Bridge on Tuesday night.

The incident reportedly claimed two lives and destroyed some properties in the area, including vehicles and buildings.

Reacting to the explosion, the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, expressed the regret of the state government over the widespread damage and disruption caused by the tragedy.

“Our thoughts are with those affected, and we commend the swift response of emergency services working tirelessly to manage the aftermath,” he said.

The Commissioner noted that the incident reinforces the urgent need for stricter safety protocols for heavy-duty vehicles.

“The Ministry of Transportation is also intensifying enforcement on the movement of hazardous materials, strengthening regulatory compliance, and implementing enhanced safety measures to prevent future occurrences,” he stated.

Mr Osiyemi called on “all transport operators to uphold the highest safety standards and cooperate with government efforts to safeguard lives and property,” saying, “Lagos remains committed to a safer, more resilient transport system for all.”

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has intensified its Lagos State School Traffic Safety Advocacy Programme (LSTSAP) under the visionary initiative tagged Operation Catch Them Young.

This is part of the agency’s strategic moves to inculcate traffic discipline and awareness from an early age. It was crafted to foster a profound understanding of road safety principles while mitigating traffic-related hazards.

This initiative, which was recently re-launched, has been reinvigorated to ensure broader reach and heightened impact, and will continue its extensive rollout across various schools, ensuring a lasting imprint on the consciousness of young children and fostering a culture of responsible road use from the grassroots level.

Furthermore, in a bid to provide a holistic and engaging experience, the initiative incorporates excursions, career day events, interactive road safety games, essay competitions and dedicated outreach programmes for school catering to students with special needs.

This transformative advocacy campaign will continue its extensive rollout across various schools, leaving and indelible impact on young children and fostering a sustainable culture of responsible road use at the grassroots level.

Through this advocacy drive, LASTMA officials systematically engage secondary school students across Lagos State’s six educational districts, equipping them with crucial knowledge of traffic signs, regulations and safety protocols on every Wednesdays of the week.

Reiterating the programme’s significance, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr Sola Giwa, underscored that embedding traffic consciousness in young minds is pivotal to nurturing a disciplined and law-abiding society.

He emphasized that early exposure to road safety tenets not only enhances pedestrian and commuter safety but also fosters a generation of responsible road users—whether as future drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians.

According to him, “the revitalization of Operation Catch Them Young is in alignment with the state government’s commitment to a safer, more orderly, and seamlessly structured transportation system.

“By empowering students with critical traffic knowledge, Lagos State is proactively shaping a future where adherence to road regulations becomes instinctive among its citizens.”

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ondo State, Mr Samuel Ibitoye, has been sanctioned for allowing a patrol vehicle in his domain to operate with worn-out tyres.

Over the week, a video emerged on social media showing a motorist, booked a patrol team for an expired tyre, capturing the patrol van of the agency with bad tyres.

Apparently embarrassed by this, the Corps Marshall of the FRSC, Mr Shehu Mohammed, in a statement signed by the Assistant Corps Marshal of the Corps’ Public Education Officer, Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide, said the agency has zero tolerance to any form of negation of standards and does not condone any form of compromise against its core values.

According to him, the action “is a complete negation of the core values, as well as Standard Operating Procedures on Vehicles Maintenance for all operational and administrative vehicles of the corps.”

He, therefore, sanctioned the sector commander, ordering the ticketing of vehicle for the infraction, with the commander directed “to pay the fines for negligence.”

Mr Mohammed commended the public for their watch dog role over the services of the road safety agency, reminding the motoring public that the FRSC remains a pace-setter amongst agencies in Nigeria, for high level observance of quality standards, especially when it comes to vehicle maintenance, and will continue to enhance on the mileages achieved over the years in that regard.

He assured that the organisation would “continue to play its supervisory role over the field commands with diligent commitment while the Commanding Officers are expected to uphold the ideals of the corps accordingly.”