LASG To Close Down Illegal Driving Schools

The Lagos State Government says it will soon begin to clampdown on illegal driving schools in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.

This is in a bid to reduce accidents and ensure the safety of road users. The government says it would soon begin the standardization of all driving schools in the state.

Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, who said this during a meeting with Nigeria Driving School Proprietor Association in Lagos, added that the standardization is important since driving schools played prominent role in determining the quality of drivers on the road.

Opeifa said the era where mushroom driving schools, incompetent instructors and drivers who did not know the rudiments of driving are recommended by driving schools for drivers’ licence is gone.

“With the standardization, a uniform curriculum will be introduced by the state government for the driving schools in order to ensure that intending drivers acquire the necessary training.

He assured that the government would support driving schools, especially in the area of instructional materials as well as ensuring that professional drivers, who failed in the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute re-certification training, undergo compulsory training in the standardized driving schools.

Opeifa appealed to the association to cooperate with the state government to sanitisie and standardize driving schools, adding that the effort by the government is to uplift the image of driving schools as well as ensure that only competent and qualified drivers were allowed to drive.

He implored them to ensure that their instructors were well trained and exposed to modern techniques in driving, as vehicles used in the training of intending drivers should be roadworthy.

The Vice Chairman of the Association, Mr Oladipupo Yusuf assured that the association would cooperate with the state government towards eradicating of incompetent drivers and reducing accidents on the roads.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga