Collage pictures of LASTMA officers at Vaniti club
—State Reaffirms Uncompromising Stance Against the Obstruction of Public Roadways and Endangerment of Communal Safety
In an unambiguous assertion of its steadfast dedication to preserving public order and ensuring the seamless mobility of persons and vehicles within the metropolis, the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), has sealed the premises of Vaniti Club House, strategically located on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, over protracted and deliberate infractions of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
This resolute enforcement action, personally led by the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, and meticulously executed by the Agency’s Rescue and Compliance Unit, follows the Club’s habitual and defiant infringement of established traffic laws particularly its persistent facilitation of illegal roadside parking and flagrant encroachment upon public highways. These actions have not only disrupted traffic flow but have posed substantial risks to public safety.
It bears reiterating that the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018, unequivocally proscribes any acts that obstruct vehicular movement or imperil the safety of road users, categorizing such conduct as a grievous statutory offence liable to punitive legal sanctions.
Despite a series of exhaustive sensitization efforts including sustained public enlightenment campaigns, direct stakeholder engagements, and multiple official warnings the management of Verniti Club House has remained intransigent, choosing to perpetuate acts that undermine the operational integrity of the State’s traffic ecosystem, particularly within the high-traffic corridor of Victoria Island.
Consequently, the State Government has invoked its full regulatory powers to seal the premises indefinitely. This directive shall remain in effect until the establishment unequivocally demonstrates total and verifiable compliance with all extant traffic laws and ancillary regulatory frameworks.
According to Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki “This enforcement initiative is not a one-off occurrence. It marks the beginning of a broader and sustained compliance campaign. We are actively monitoring other clubs, event centres, lounges, and recreational facilities particularly those that persist in impeding traffic flow by commandeering public roads and adjoining streets for private use.”
The Lagos State Government, via LASTMA, reiterates in the strongest terms its zero-tolerance policy toward any person, corporate body, or social enterprise that constitutes an impediment to traffic orderliness or endangers the commuting public.
Residents and commuters are therefore enjoined to report any errant event centres, lounges, clubs, or similar establishments that obstruct free passage or constitute a public nuisance to LASTMA through its dedicated toll-free emergency hotline: 0800-00-LASMA (080000527862).
The Lagos State Government remains unequivocally committed to fostering a safe, disciplined, and efficiently regulated traffic environment, in alignment with its broader vision of a world-class, livable urban landscape.
Adebayo Taofiq
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA