New Reforms Mandate Community Service for LASTMA, KAI

Governor Babatunde Fashola

Gboyega Akinsanmi

The Lagos State Government has explained the on-going reforms of its traffic management authority (LASTMA) and Kick against Indiscipline (KAI), saying the reforms are designed to improve the operatives’ sense of community services and achieve law enforcement with human face.

Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Transport Education, Dr. Mariam Masha, explained the rationale behind the reforms at the Agbowa relief camp, where about 200 LASTMA and KAI personnel, who are currently undergoing career evaluation programme, carried out their community services.

Speaking at the centre, the SSA said the on-going reform “is to enhance capacity of the traffic and environmental operatives with the central goal of making a life-time change in the state law enforcement as well as their agencies”.

She said the ideals of selfless service, humility, enterprise, interaction, trust, inter-agency relationships and other sound values “are being inculcated in these participants towards improved service delivery to the people of the state.

“We know what we want as a government and we want the right people in the right places. The officers were grouped and assigned specific areas with various traffic and environmental challenges that need to be addressed.

“They developed plans to address these and work with the community to effect positive change and promote law and order. She added that this project will form a significant part of their assessment,” Masha explained.

Some of the inmates at the centre commended the initiative, urging the personnel to carry out their duties with caution because not everybody they come in contact with is physically fit.
The inmates urged them to be humane in the discharge of their duties and expressed optimism that after this training, the efficiency and service delivery scale will shoot up while people friendly initiatives and voluntary compliance will also be on the increase.

The participants commended the totality of the training programme, especially the CSR visit to the relief centre, describing it as an indelible experience in the quest of serving the people of Lagos State.

They added that the initiative had really prepared their mind on how best to relate with the people while appreciating the challenges others might have in the day-to-day commuting in the state.

About 1,600 participants have undergone the training which involves aerobics, class-work, Community Service Relations visit to orphanage homes and hospitals while the field report aspect of the training had seen the participants visit Mile 12, Ojota, Ladipo, Apongbon, Agege and Obalende areas of the state and report presentation.

The officials cleaned up the relief camp, buildings, arranged beddings besides donating materials including foodstuffs for the use of the centre and the inmates. The visit by the 200 LASTMA and KAI personnel is an integral component of the career evaluation training programme designed to improve skills of the officers of the two agencies.