I like Lagos for many reasons....one being the Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). With all his short comings, he got this one right....it is an encouragement for a country plagued by leaders who rarely motivate or inspire us. This incident gladdens my heart.The soldiers were accosted on the BRT lane at the Outer Marina in Central Lagos. Col. Yusuf was driving in an army green Peugeot 406 with registration number BO1 – 150 NA. Staff Sergeant Adeomi drove in a black Toyota Camry.
As Mr Fashola moved towards the oncoming vehicle, Col. Yusuf came down from his car, saluted severally and began muttering: “I am sorry; very, very sorry”
The Governor said: “Why, as a senior military officer, would you choose to break the law instead of preserving it?”
Trust Lagosians, they did not miss the action.
Answering questions from reporters after the incident, the governor described as “very unfortunate” the fact that those who ought to stand in defence of the democratic values of the nation are the ones violating the law.
He, however, added: “But it signifies my commitment and the commitment of the Lagos State Government that all those who will not comply with our laws should leave our state. We will not back down.
“There is a zero tolerance for lawlessness. There is zero tolerance for breach of our regulations and we are going to do more of this. We are going to take control of our traffic. We cannot build our way out of traffic congestion; our responsibility is to manage traffic and manage congestion”.
Insisting that people must behave well, Mr Fashola said: “I don’t use the BRT lane; I sit down in traffic and I expect everyone who wants to drive his car to do the same. The alternative is to use the bus.
“The bus is for those who cannot afford to buy cars. They have the right also to use the road and we cannot encroach on that lane which we have reserved for them. This is democratisation of the road and I will defend it.”
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