The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, has said Lagos traffic remains one of the toughest to manage in the country due to the state’s limited road space and heavy vehicle population.
Bakare-Oki disclosed this while speaking on the operations, challenges and reforms within LASTMA during an interview with the PUNCH.
He said Lagos has more water than land and less than one per cent of Nigeria’s total landmass, yet carries the highest volume of vehicles in the country.
“According to available data, Nigeria has over 12 million vehicles, and more than half of them are domiciled in Lagos and Kano. But in Lagos alone, we have over five million vehicles plying our roads daily,” he said.
He explained that these vehicles depend largely on just 67 major roads and five bridges, which puts enormous pressure on traffic flow.
“Over 90 per cent of transportation in Lagos is done by road, even though about 15 local governments are connected by water. This alone shows the scale of the challenge we face daily,” he added.
Bakare-Oki also pointed to the presence of major seaports, the Dangote Refinery and fertiliser plant as reasons for the high number of trucks, tankers and trailers on Lagos roads.
He said from January till date, LASTMA recorded about 3,000 vehicle breakdowns across the state, noting that trucks and tankers accounted for about 62 per cent of the cases.
On accidents, he revealed that over 1,227 road crashes had been recorded within the same period.
“In the morning, more than 62 per cent of vehicles move from the mainland towards the island. But they all have to pass through just three major entry points — Eko Bridge, Carter Bridge and Third Mainland Bridge. That creates a natural bottleneck,” he said.
He said LASTMA responds by deploying officers to entry points, midpoints and exit points, especially on the Third Mainland Bridge, while also using bike patrol officers to quickly respond to incidents.
Bakare-Oki said the agency has increasingly relied on technology to reduce physical contact between officers and motorists.
“For over two years, we have embraced technology-driven enforcement. This year alone, we have captured over 113,000 traffic infractions, compared to 55,000 recorded throughout 2024,” he said.
According to him, infractions are captured through video evidence and processed electronically, giving offenders the option to pay or contest.
“At the backend, there are two options — to pay or to contest. But over 90 per cent do not contest what we send to them,” he added.
He said LASTMA maintains strong collaboration with sister agencies, including the Lagos State Police Command, Lagos State Ambulance Services, Fire Service and emergency responders, especially during accidents and rescue operations.
On road construction, Bakare-Oki said LASTMA works closely with construction companies to reduce traffic disruption.
“We are always in constant touch with construction companies whenever there is partial or total road closure. For those who refuse to comply with traffic management rules, we have a way of taking them off the road,” he said.
Addressing complaints against LASTMA officers, he said the agency has invested heavily in training and discipline.
“In 2024 and 2025, we trained over 3,000 officers on soft skills, emotional intelligence and enforcement without aggression. Public complaints have drastically reduced,” he said.
He added that LASTMA introduced a toll-free line to receive feedback from the public.
“Since inception, we have received over 8,000 calls ranging from complaints to commendations. The line is 080-000-527862, and it works in English, Yoruba and Pidgin,” he said.
Bakare-Oki said the agency also strengthened its surveillance and provost units, noting that over 40 officers have been sanctioned in the last two years.
“More than 10 were dismissed between 2024 and 2025, while others were demoted, retired or issued warning letters,” he said.
He revealed that LASTMA recently introduced 24-hour traffic management in response to the December influx of visitors into Lagos.
“For almost six weeks now, our men have been working round the clock. We now operate morning, afternoon and night shifts, supported by a special rescue and emergency team,” he said.
Bakare-Oki added that LASTMA works with the Lagos State Mobile Court and Lagos State Drivers’ Institute to ensure offenders are fined appropriately and retrained before vehicles are released.
“Our ultimate goal, at all times, is to keep the roads free and improve travel time for Lagosians,” he said.
