Press Releases

“Lagos Drivers’ Institute Is For Safety And Security On Our Roads”, Says Opeifa
• As journalists inspect the Ikeja Centre

Aug 26, 2009 - The Drivers’ Institute with centres built in various parts of Lagos State are for the safety and security of life on Lagos roads, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, has said.

Opeifa, who fielded questions from newsmen who had earlier been conducted round the Ikeja Institute and taken through the processes of retraining, including audio-visual presentations and driving simulation test at the premises of the Institute located in Oshodi, explained that the State Government is concerned primarily about getting as many people as possible to embrace the training provided by the centres adding that this will be done through engagement, publicity, advocacy, public education and enlightenment.

He said the State Government will also engage the stakeholders in the process of enlightenment, pointing out that meetings have been going on between the Government and the major transport unions to get them fully involved in the process.

“The leaderships of the major transport Unions, the NUPENG, the NURTW, the RTEAN and the NARTO, will be here during the commissioning of the Institute tomorrow and they will give testimony that they are in support of this project. They have shown a lot of interest and we have been holding series of meetings with them”, Opeifa said adding that already, two of the leaders have undergone the recertification test.

On whether there is penalty for those who refuse to undergo the training, Opeifa said, “For those who do not comply, I believe the law is there to take its course. But this is not about penalty; it is about compliance; it is about safety and security on our roads. We are not placing emphasis on penalty; our concern is compliance and we will do everything through engagement, public education and enlightenment”.

He said the institute has been spread to the five divisions of the State – Ikorodu, Ikeja, Epe, Badagry and Lagos Island – adding that they will be used for training and retraining of drivers that operate on daily bases on Lagos State roads.

“One of the objectives of the Institute is to train the trainers for human capacity development”, the Special Adviser said adding that the State Government sponsored some of its officials to trainings in the United Kingdom, Sweden and other countries around the world for human capacity development.

According to him, since they came back, they have trained 25 staff in one month and 25 more are still undergoing training under them, adding, “So human capacity is not our problem because we have it”.

The Special Adviser added that the Institute is also part of the State Government’s Transport Sector Reform programme adding that some of that reform could be seen in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), LAGBUS, Bus Franchise Scheme (BFS) and the ferry services.

Addressing the journalists comprising the Lagos State Government House Correspondents and Motoring Correspondents of various media houses in the State, Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mr. Hakeem Bello explained that the inspection tour of the Institute was in accordance to the directives of the Governor who wants the media to have a first hand information about the facilities in the Institute and communicate same to the public to know the readiness of the State Government to retrain drivers in the State.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute, Mr. Ayodeji Peter Oyedokun had delivered a lecture to the newsmen on the nitty gritty of safe driving, observance of the Highway Code and the Right of Way, after which they were made to undergo the various processes required to obtain the Drivers’ Recertification Card like filling of registration form, eye test, Data Capture and Simulation test driving. He explained that the institute is the State Government’s response to the issue of safety and security on the State roads.

Mr. Oyedokun’s lecture also took the newsmen through a session titled “Adverse Condition” under which they learnt correct drivers’ response to various adverse weather conditions such as rains, visibility, high wind and bad road.

The journalists also seized the opportunity of the visit to the centre to inspect 25 brand new high capacity towing vehicles just procured by the State Government to rid the State of broken down vehicles.

Also present during the exercise which lasted for about 50 minutes and during which some newsmen obtained the Drivers’ Recertification Card after going through the processes and passing the required tests, were the Director and Chief Executive of the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute, Mr. Ayodeji Oyedokun, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, Senior Special Assistant on Transport Education, Dr. Mariam Temitope Masha, the Head of Training at the Institute, Mr. Waheed Giwa and other instructors of the Institute.