19th November, 2012
Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State on Sunday rendered an account of stewardship to commemorate his 2,000 days in the saddle of leadership, stating that the state is experiencing more voluntary compliance with the Road Traffic Law and an improved driving culture on the roads.
The governor who spoke during an interactive session held at the Blueroof Hall, LTV 8, Agidingbi, Ikeja where he gave a detailed account of his performance in all sectors said the improvement will lead to safety of life and property on the roads.
Governor Fashola who gave a detailed account of what has happened as it affects the transportation sector said government embarked upon various policies to manage traffic, save lives and manage the congestion of commuting within the state at rush hour.
The governor also disclosed the award of the N30 billion Mile 12-Ikorodu Road expansion contract to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC.
“I am pleased to inform you that we have since concluded the financing and awarded the construction contract for Mile 12-Ikorodu Road expansion,” he said.
The project is being financed by the World Bank, through the Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority, LAMATA and is expected to be completed in two years.
On the restrictions placed on commercial motorcyclists, a.k.a. Okada riders, Fashola said the gains of the restrictions were there for all to see, saying that “from the 25 General Hospitals, the reports of accidents of Okada riders dropped from 646 to 525 cases in September, representing 18.73 percent reduction while deaths recorded between the same period dropped from 14 to 8, representing 42.86 percent reduction.
“From the Office of the Commissioner of Police, the reported incidents of crime generally perpetrated by Okada riders, especially robberies dropped by 30 percent in September and by 60 percent as at the end of October, when compared to the month of July, before the law came into force.”
He stated that the traffic law, since it was signed into law has had positive impact on Lagosians as many now complied with the law willingly rather than being compelled.
“Between July, before the law came into force, and September 2012, of the 13,322 people attending our Drivers’ Institute, 11,986 had good vision, while 1,346 representing about 10.1 percent had bad vision. These drivers with poor vision are dangers to themselves and to other road users and can make the difference between life and death.
“They have been referred for corrective action such as glasses to improve their vision and return them back to the road safer for themselves and other road users.”
He added that “since 2 August when the law came into force and end of September, 2012, we noticed a 68.4 percent increase in attendance in the Drivers’ Institute. This can only ultimately lead to more safe drivers and less accidents on our roads.
“Between the same period, at the end of September, 58,174 vehicles came in to obtain their Road Worthiness Certificates, a 20.9 percent increase from the period before the law. The consequences will be safer vehicles, less breakdowns and obstruction to traffic.
“We also notice a 48.4 percent increase in the issuance of Drivers’ License which should suggest safer drivers and accident reduction. More importantly, I can also report that fines reduced between July and September by 24.2 percent which is what we seek, contrary to the rooftop shouts by our unimaginative opponents that this was a revenue generation drive.”
Fashola further disclosed that since the law started, the number of vehicles arrested for various violations had dropped by 16.9 percent while arrests for driving against traffic decreased by 35.9 percent and BRT lane violations had decreased by 74.2 percent.
According to him, in terms of the impact of the law and advocacy on healthcare, “our recent monitoring and evaluation assessment report reveals that 65 percent of people sampled after the law want to reduce alcohol intake as against 30 percent before; 93 percent now wants to reduce drugs as against 71 percent before the law; 77 percent are now convinced that alcohol is a danger to them and their passengers if they drink and drive, as against 10 percent before the law and only 4 percent now say they can still able to purchase alcohol within the motor park after the law, as against 58 percent before the law.
“These for me are signs which suggest that the health and safety objectives of the law are being met.”
In the area of education, Fashola said students from the state had recorded improved performance in the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC examination, as Lagos was among the best 10 states in the federation in terms of improved performance.
“You will recall that when we commenced this reform in 2007, the average percentage pass of our students who obtained five credits with Mathematics and English in our public schools was seven percent. In 2008, it went up to 11 percent, 18 percent in 2009, 21 percent in 2010, and we suffered a dip to 19 percent in 2011. “Things have been restored again in the positive direction we are accustomed to with an average of 38.28 percent for the results of 2012. But this is not the end of the story. For the first time, our state is now in the top 10 of the 36 states that are in the forefront of public education revival, and we are the only state in the Southwest in the top 10 this year,” he stated.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga