The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Task Force) has ended its statewide sensitisation drive, linking traffic orderliness and environmental compliance to improved security and economic productivity in the state.
The campaign, themed “Towards Achieving Traffic and Environmental Orderliness and Public Safety in Lagos State: The Dos and Don’ts,” climaxed on Thursday across strategic economic corridors and high-traffic zones including Oshodi, Ikeja, Iyana Ipaja, Iba, Ojo, Kosofe and Lagos Island.
According to the Director, Public Affairs of the Task Force, AbdulRaheem Gbadeyan, the exercise which covered all local government areas and local council development areas, was designed to promote voluntary compliance as a tool for enhancing public safety and economic efficiency.
Leading the operation along the Oshodi axis of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Chairman of the Task Force, CSP Adetayo Akerele, said orderly roads and clean public spaces are critical to security and business growth.
Akerele, who led a “Warning Before Enforcement” engagement with motorists, commercial drivers and street traders, explained that free flow of traffic reduces crime opportunities, improves emergency response time and cuts man-hour losses caused by gridlock.
“Every minute lost in traffic is a loss to the economy. When roads and walkways are blocked by illegal trading and indiscriminate parking, it not only creates security blind spots for criminals but also disrupts commercial activities and discourages investment,” he said.
He noted that congested and lawless roads are often exploited by hoodlums to attack motorists and dispossess traders, stressing that the campaign to major roads and densely populated commercial centres was to reclaim public spaces for safety and economic use.
The Task Force boss said sustainable security and economic growth cannot be achieved by enforcement alone, adding that collaboration among transport unions, market associations, community leaders and residents is key to securing lives and protecting livelihoods.
He warned against the unauthorised conversion of roads and pedestrian walkways to markets and motor parks, saying such practices obstruct movement, endanger lives, and stifle legitimate businesses that operate in approved locations.
While urging commercial drivers to obey traffic regulations and traders to confine activities to approved markets and stalls, Akerele said voluntary compliance would help reduce accidents, ease logistics costs and make Lagos more competitive for business.
He, however, warned that the grace period should not be misconstrued as weakness on the part of government, stressing that persistent violators would face enforcement, as government is determined to secure public spaces and boost economic activities.
The agency said the sensitisation aligns with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ agenda on security, environment and sustainable economic development, noting that a safe, clean and orderly Lagos is a panacea for job creation, investor confidence and enhanced Internally Generated Revenue.
It called on residents to see compliance as a civic duty and an investment in the state’s security architecture and economic prosperity.
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