MOTORIST COMPLAINS AGAINST LASTMA, FASHOLA INTERVENES
The Concerned Imo State Professionals in Lagos (CISPL) has commended Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola for his quick intervention in a matter, which led to the recovery of a stolen mobile phone from a Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) official.
The official (names withheld) who allegedly stole the phone was asked by Governor Fashola to buy and replace the phone within 24 hours and he did.
Narrating his ordeal, a frontline member of the group, Mr. Eugene Okorie said that on August 10, 2011 at about 3 p.m. he was flagged down at the Mile 2 area, by a group of LASTMA officials during a routine inspection of vehicle particulars. While he was busy trying to sort out his papers from the pigeon-hole, one of the men opened the back door and pretended to be checking for something.
Okorie said what happened that day was that after dropping off a friend who was going towards Apapa Wharf, he made a u-turn because on-going construction has made it difficult to turn at the usual point, and it was while he was driving back towards Festac Town that the officials stopped him, but instead of waiting to check his documents, what caught their fancy was the phone he left at the back seat.
He admitted that although he turned at the wrong place, when the LASTMA team stopped him, he promptly parked his vehicle to cooperate with them and also prove that he was the owner of the car.
Narrating his ordeal to Daily Sun, Okorie revealed that after the encounter, he discovered that one of his handsets was missing, the one he left at the back seat, so he confronted them and they promptly denied stealing the Nokia product. But he insisted that his phone be retuned to him by the officials, and threatened to report the matter to their superior officer.
Okorie said he was adamant and followed them to their provost who intervened in the matter and promised to carry out full investigation to determine the veracity of the victim's claim. He explained that while this was going on he brought out the other phone and sent a text message to Governor Fashola, explaining what transpired earlier between him and the agency staff, describing it as unfair to deploy such men on the road according to him, although what he did was typical of a man in need of justice, he was taken aback when within seconds of receiving the message, the governor called the provost and directed that the man's phone be replaced. And it was done.
Okorie said he did not believe that a Governor of a state would have the time and will to act like that and commended Governor Fashola for doing so. CISPL commended the governor for his magnanimity and prompt intervention into the matter.