35 COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT OPERATORS NAB FLOUTING STAY AT HOME DIRECTIVE IN LAGOS
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LAGOS STATE GOVERNOR BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU ENFORCEMENT TEAM ON THE SIT AT HOME DIRECTIVE AS IT AFFECTS MOTORISTS WITHOUT PERMIT
In the days gone by in this ongoing lockdown, some Commercial transport operators and few private vehicle owners have been observed to have severally exhibited nonchalant attitude to the seat at home directive by both the Lagos state and the federal governments hence, the Lagos State Government stepped up enforcement of the lockdown directive on commercial transport operators especially among those drivers that ply interstates.
In this vein, the Special Assistant to Governor Olushola Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; Hon Toyin Fayinka, led a high powered surveillance team from the Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA, Nigerian Police Force, NPF, and the Lagos State Task Force, to enforce the sit at home directive by the government
The surveillance team for the enforcement of the lockdown combed the Lagos highway from Otto-Iddo corridor through Ebute-Metta/Jibowu axis to Ojota and Ikorodu road.
In that thorough enforcement exercise which was carried out without fear or favour got the team to impound a total of 20 commercial vehicles caught in outright disdain for the directives from both the state Governor, Mr Babajide Olushola-Sanwo-olu and President Muhammadu Buhari, which had earlier announced that, none essential activities should be suspended until the expiration of the lockdown period, in order for the government to flatten the rate of spread of the heinous COVID-19 in the country.
Also impounded were 15 commercial motorcycles and their riders. Both drivers of the vehicles and the Okada riders were found engaging in commercial transportation without an adequate permit from the constituted authority who would have issued them a valid permit authorizing their trips in and out of the state but they were all propelled by commercial gain at the expense of their lives and endangering the lives of their passengers and that of their family members.
The leader of the team, Hon Toyin Fayinka, said the state government was not comfortable with the rate of active cases of COVID-19 infection in Lagos state hence, the Governor directed more stringent enforcement by maintaining surveillance on micro players in all the sectors of the state’s economy.
He said the surveillance was with the view to nipping in the bud, vestiges of disobedience to the lockdown directive which could prove very fatal by instigating though ignorantly, the unbridled spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country.
At both Jibowu and Ojota, the team had a swell of time and made spirited effort to intercept vehicles loaded and those still loading and those vehicles on the queue, and were all ready to make interstate trips out of Lagos against the directive of both the federal and the state governments.
However, some of the vehicles impounded in that exercise included IVECO truck, Volvo truck, KIA Salon car, Siena Space bus as well as Yellow buses popularly called Danfo, among others.
The S.A. to the Governor on Transportation, Hon Fayinka, frowned at the involvement of some law enforcement agents in the violation of the sit at home directive and reiterated that government would not hesitate to enforce the law on any person or group of persons that attempt to frustrate the on-going efforts at eradicating the spread of the killer Coronavirus which often causes the COVID-19 disease.
Fayinka urged Lagosians to regularly wash and sanitize their hands, maintain social distancing and imbibe personal hygiene. He further warned that the enforcement was going to be continuous, adding that any vehicle impounded for violating the order would not be released until the end of the lockdown is formally announced by the state government.
Other top government officials that accompanied Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on Transportation, Hon Toyin Fayinka, were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr Oluseyi Whenu, General Manager of LASTMA, Engr Olajide Oduyoye, and Director of Transport Operations in the State, Engr. Afeez Toriola, who was the immediate past Director of Vehicle Inspection Service, VIS, in Lagos State.
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