LASTMA Ember Month Campaign: Giwa Reaffirms Commitment To Road Safety
… as they prepare to safeguard the lives of Lagosian.
In a rousing call to civic responsibility and collective consciousness, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Honourable Sola Giwa, on today, led senior officials of the Lagos State Government, traffic management officers, and critical stakeholders to officially flag off the 2025 Ember Month Safety Campaign of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), held at the Agency’s Headquarters, Oshodi.
Themed “Safe Roads, Safe Lives — LASTMA Cares”, the campaign embodies the human-centered approach of the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Administration toward ensuring road safety, traffic orderliness, and public welfare before, during and after the high-risk Ember Months a period traditionally characterized by increased mobility, heightened commercial activities, and intensified vehicular pressure on the Lagos road network.
Hon. Giwa during his keynote described the event not merely as another annual ritual, but as “a solemn reaffirmation of our government’s steadfast resolve to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of Lagosians through disciplined traffic management, preventive education, and humane enforcement.”
Repositioning LASTMA as a Pillar of Economic Stability.
The Special Adviser extolled the crucial role played by LASTMA in sustaining the economic heartbeat of Lagos, noting that the Agency’s 4,100 personnel constitute “the silent engine that ensures the megacity’s continuity and productivity.”
According to him, empirical data affirms that each LASTMA officer helps prevent economic losses estimated at over ₦85 million annually through congestion management and gridlock prevention.
When multiplied across the Authority’s operational strength, this translates to a staggering ₦430 billion in saved man-hours, a contribution that underpins Lagos’ ₦41 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He stated that “our LASTMA officers are not just enforcers of road discipline, they are economic stabilizers, public educators, and protectors of human dignity. Every hour they recover from gridlock is an hour returned to productivity; every accident they prevent is a life preserved.”
Hon. Giwa observed that this season brings an exponential rise in road usage, inter-state travel, and commercial mobility, particularly as Lagosians in the Diaspora return home for festivities.
He said, “Passenger inflow through our airports and inter-state corridors increases by nearly 30 percent during this period. Markets, event centers, and commercial corridors experience unusual vehicular surges that put immense pressure on our road infrastructure. It is, therefore, imperative for LASTMA to remain proactive, not reactive.”
The Special Adviser commended the leadership of the Agency for its consistency in adapting to the evolving mobility challenges of a dynamic city such as Lagos, stressing that traffic management during the Ember Months requires “discipline, compassion, and technological precision.”
Hon. Giwa disclosed that the 2025 Ember Month Campaign will hinge on critical pillars:
• Advocacy and Public Sensitization,
• Empathetic Enforcement,
• Enhanced Field Deployment and
• Inter-Agency Collaboration.
He declared, “Safety is not seasonal it is cultural. Let us make the right driving attitude the new Lagos identity. Compliance is not punishment; it is partnership. Every Lagosian must internalize the message that safe roads guarantee safe lives because indeed, LASTMA cares.”
Earlier in his welcome address, the General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki reaffirmed the Agency’s resolute commitment to achieving Zero Accidents, Zero Fatalities, and Zero Excuses during the 2025 Ember Months.
Mr. Bakare-Oki described the forum as a coalition of critical partners transport unions, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and the media united by a shared mission to preserve human life during this high-risk period.
He lauded Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s visionary leadership, which has strengthened LASTMA’s operational efficiency through drone surveillance, body-worn cameras, and enhanced emergency logistics.
Urging motorists to exercise discipline, patience, and empathy, he emphasized that road safety is a shared civic duty. “Safety is not seasonal but cultural Safe Roads mean Safe Lives, because LASTMA truly cares,” he declared.
The event equally witnessed drama presentation by secondary school children from Lagos State Educational District 2, 6 & SUBEB tagged ‘Catch Them Young’ under the LASTMA School Traffic Advocacy Programme.
The event was graced by representatives from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), LASAMBUS, LASDRI, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, Parks and Gardens Agency, NARTO, NURTW, RETEAN, LETI, Community Development Committees (CDC), Traffic Radio, LBSL, and the Media.
Adebayo Taofiq
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA
