As LASG threatens court action

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

OFFICIALS of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, otherwise called Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, Federal Taskforce are at daggers drawn with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, over control of traffic on federal highways in the state.

The FG Taskforce, last week, stormed the Old Toll Gate end, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and environs, and forcefully dislodged LASTMA officials from the highway.

A similar incident occurred late last year, but the quick intervention of the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences unit restored normalcy before it could degenerate into crisis.

Consequently, the Lagos State Government, at the weekend, urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency, call to order all its agencies including FERMA, over their nefarious activities in the state which, according to the government, constitute both environmental nuisance and danger to road users.

The state government said it is considering instituting a legal action against the Federal Government over the development. This action, according to the government, became necessary in view of President Goodluck Jonathan non- reply to an earlier letter written to him by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on the illegal activities of the SURE-P taskforce in the state.

Media briefing

Speaking during an inter-Ministerial media briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre Alausa, Ikeja, at the weekend, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, listed some of the activities to include taking over of traffic control on highways, illegal and indiscriminate placement of bill boards and painting of road kerbs in green and white which is against international standard, adding that these activities constitute a breach of the nation’s constitution.

The commissioner, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba and his Transportation counterpart, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, among others, said for the fifth time in recent times, the unknown group of men and women without any form of identity, dressed in black uniform had last Thursday taken over some highways in the state, aided by four armed policemen purporting to be controlling traffic, a job which he maintained, is legitimately performed by LASTMA.

Recalling that the state government had made series of complaints in the past about the activities of the group, and Governor Fashola personally wrote the President, Ipaye said on one occasion when a policeman was attacked by the group, the Police made some arrests and after awhile the activities continued.

The commissioner, who noted that there was no record of any employment letter, regulations, laws or a Federal circular that pointed to the establishment of the group, said the concern of the state government stemmed from the probability that criminals and hoodlums could also wear the uniform and perpetrate criminal activities under such cover.

Ipaye, who also spoke on the issue of illegal and indiscriminate placing of advertisements on the roads and highways in the State said these were done without regard to the laws and regulations guiding such placements in the state pointing out that placement of bill boards are “subject of regulation to ensure that the safety of the road users are not compromised”.

Corroborating Ipaye, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, explained that a letter was written to the Federal Ministry of Works Office Controller in Lagos drawing the attention of the controller who, according to him, denied any knowledge of such a body adding that the group was later dislodged.

“But going forward, the men re-appeared and the Federal Ministry of Works contacted us to assist in evicting them and we said no, that they should talk to the Police who had the authority on the issue of maintenance of law and order and the Federal Ministry of Works wrote a letter to the Lagos State Police Command”, Opeifa said.

The letter dated January 24, 2014 and signed by Engineer. O.O. Obikoya (Federal Controller of Works) read thus: “The Minister of Works has directed that the members of the group be evicted from our office premises at Old Tollgate, Ojota, Lagos end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“In view of the above and the security implication posed by the presence of the group, I wish to request for your assistance to evict them from our office premises at the above stated location.”

Opeifa added that the ministry made paid disclaimer advertisements in some national newspapers to the effect.

The name of the group was subsequently, changed from FERMA to SURE-P/FERMA Taskforce.

“When the men began their activities at the Tollgate last Thursday, the state government contacted the state Police Command which claimed none of their men was attached to the illegal taskforce. But we sighted four Police men at the site and two were fully armed with AK-47, Opeifa affirmed.

PDP fingered: The commissioner alleged that since the postponement of the 2015 general election date, a branded mass transit bus, with the name of the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship Candidate in Lagos State boldly written on it, has been noticed in the premises of the men in black while a Sport Utility Vehicle, SUV, with Bode George Boys boldly written on it used to be driven to the premises.

The Managing Director of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, Mr. George Noah, also explained that the failure of any political party to secure bill boards could not be attributed to LASAA because the less than 900 bill boards being operated by private business concerns in Lagos State, were owned by businessmen and women who, according to him, “are free to sell their services to anyone who is interested.”

Invasion of territory

On the action the agency intends to take over the invasion of its territory, Noah said the agency was planning to institute legal action too adding, “I have here with me the draft of the summons which we are going to produce. It is important for us to do this because we need to set the records straight; the issue of Federal and State roads, the facts remain that Federal roads are not owned by any political party, Federal roads are part of our common wealth.”

PDP reacts: The Lagos State chapter of the PDP, had in his reaction to the development, accused Governor Babatunde Fashola of misleading residents about the duty of the federal taskforce.

Publicity Secretary of PDP in Lagos, Mr. Taofik Gani, said Fashola was wrong to have told residents to resist officials of the taskforce. He said the governor had intensified his verbal attack against the party so as to “remain politically relevant”.

On allegations by the state’s chapter of the APC and the governor that the members of the federal taskforce are foot soldiers of the PDP ahead of the 2015 elections, the party said: “The Lagos state PDP has come out to swiftly deny the existence of the federal taskforce for the purpose of election. We maintain that the governor’s information on the innocent Nigerians is not only empty but laughable and has thus reduced the governor’s office to a comic relief.