26th September, 2012
In preparation for full enforcement of the new traffic law, the Lagos State Government has begun the re-training of 7,960 enforcement officers.
The officers include the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, and Neighbourhood Watch.
The first batch of 200 officers comprising 150 LASTMA and 50 KAI began their training on Monday at the Lagos State Public Service Staff Development Centre, PSSDC, Magodo, Lagos, southwest Nigeria. It will last four weeks.
Speaking at the event, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the officers had chosen to be part of the most noble profession in the world. “This is a profession whose primary responsibility is to maintain a lawful and orderly society.
“The reasons for choosing this profession may vary from person to person, but what is important is that now that you are a law enforcement officer, you must display the core values of integrity, courage, commitment, pride, professionalism, self-respect and respect for others, and teamwork.”
According to Fashola, “applying these core values will ensure that you are a credit not only to yourselves but to your employers and the citizens you serve. This training programme has been specially designed for you and it will be as successful for you as you allow it to be. You are the one that will need to take what you learn during the training and put it to good use in the field.
Senior Special Assistant on Transport Education, Dr. Miriam Masha, whose office is in charge of the training said the state government had never stopped training its staff. “The aim is to improve the knowledge and skills of the officials in order to meet global standards in terms of service delivery in the state.
“Capacity building is something that must be done continuously. As the state government aims at promoting law and order within the state, we discovered that there are areas that must be improved on the part of our own officers, as we want them to deliver in promoting law and order.”
Masha stated that as a law enforcement officer, one was not expected to apply unnecessary force while apprehending an offender, adding that these are things that the officers must know.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on KAI Matters, Dapo Bode-Thomas said the training was to evaluate the knowledge of law enforcement agencies in Lagos State as “we know the public is always complaining of our behaviour and attitude. So, we have to work on that and learn how a law enforcement officer should deal with the public, especially in the area of respecting human rights. “
—Kazeem Ugbodaga