The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority concluded a two-day training on Friday for its senior officers on effective leadership in transport management.
The training, themed Strategic Leadership for Effective Traffic Management in Lagos, took place in the Ikeja area of the state between Thursday and Friday.
Speaking to the press, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Sola Giwa, noted that some of the challenges faced during the 2024 yuletide season in managing traffic across the state had informed the decision to hold the training.
He added that, due to the nature of the state’s transport system, it was important to train senior officers on various aspects of management, including crisis management.
Giwa said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. We understood the difficulties we faced last year, especially during Detty December and even before that. What we set out to do is to be strategic, and for everything we do, we must plan thoroughly.”
“We are here with the top leaders of LASTMA to chart a course for the new year to make road journeys easier and more seamless for Lagosians, which is our primary responsibility. Our core duty is incident management, and those incidents are usually crises.”
In his response, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, emphasised that the agency had continued to invest in training and retraining its staff to address the negative public perception of the agency.
He added that the training would equip officers with the skills needed for effective traffic management, contributing to the state’s economic growth.
He said, “Anywhere in the world, building human capacity is crucial; it is strategic and important if we want to get the best out of our men. If you look at the last three to four years, public outcry has been high, so my administration has prioritised training, retraining, and reorientation of our staff. This is part of the process of repositioning the agency and rebranding the system.”
“Our core responsibility is to ensure the economic growth of Lagos and promote the security and safety of all road users, particularly in traffic incident management.”
The General Manager concluded, “This is a form of assurance to all road users in the state that we are committed to improving their travel time and ensuring safety so that we can have accident-free roads across the state.”
Speaking earlier as a trainer, the former Lagos State Commissioner for Establishment and Training, Ponnle Ajibola, urged the officers to focus on teamwork and proactiveness in crisis management.
She stressed the importance of collaboration among stakeholders for effective transport crisis management.
“There is a need for LASTMA to be proactive. They must be agile in responding to crises and be able to make decisions that may not necessarily follow the bureaucratic process when necessary. They must lead by example, engage with stakeholders widely, and build a team where they can gather the thoughts, competencies, and knowledge of those around them to make the right decisions,” Ajibola said.
A participant in the training and senior traffic officer, Abimbola Kensington, noted that the training had helped her understand the importance of allowing junior officers to express themselves in decision-making, which she believed would assist her in making informed decisions going forward.
“The training is a huge privilege that affords us the opportunity for enlightenment. I have learned how to delegate duties and how to make my subordinates confident enough to express themselves freely, especially in the line of duty,” Kensington said.