LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT
SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT (MEDIA)'s OFFICE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
The Secretariat, Ikeja, Lagos , Nigeria .
P.M.B. 1613, Ikeja, Telegram: GOVLAG, Telephone: 01-7743710

PRESS RELEASE

LAGOS BANS STREET PARTIES

Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) Monday signed into law a bill banning the blocking of roads for any form of social or commercial activities in any part of the state.

The law titled "Bill on Commercial Activities and Prohibition of Obstruction of Traffic" makes it an offence for any person or group to obstruct traffic on any road in Lagos state as a result of social or commercial activities.

By the provision of the law, any body that obstructs a law enforcement agent of the State in the course of enforcing compliance to this law will be liable to a six-month jail term with an option of fine or N10, 000 or both.

In a brief ceremony before signing the bill, Fashola said the law was significant in many ways, adding that it tried to address the problem created by the people themselves by the way of life they have chosen for themselves.

He lamented, "This is the only city or state in the nation where parties are held in the streets. I know of no other cosmopolitan city where this happens", adding that the law would also encourage the building of function halls in the State.

The Governor said such function halls and events places would ensure that the people continued with the celebrations they have adopted as a way of life. "We cannot throw away our culture but we can do it in a more orderly manner and increase our life expectancy", he said.

Fashola said the signing of the bill also re-enforced the commitment of his administration to bring to public domain every law passed by the State Government and public information and knowledge why such law was passed, rather than do it in the confines of his office.

The Governor, who said traffic management was a global phenomenon, declared, "We have brought in traffic lights and LASMA as well as the BRT all meant to solve traffic congestion to enable efficient flow of traffic".

On the law, Fashola declared, "What the law offers us is that it throws some very serious questions about the continued efforts to build more roads. Roads play very critical role in our lives as a people. Traffic impacts on our life as a people not only on our health but also on the price and cost of living. The efficiency of transmitting and transporting of goods and services is impacted upon by the efficiency or otherwise of traffic flow because how long a vehicle stays on the road and the fuel consumed affects the cost of goods which is passed to the final consumers".

The Governor appealed to the people to cooperate with government by complying with the law adding that it was one thing to sing the bill into law and another thing to get the people to understand the reason behind such law.

He also appealed to the police to remove the vehicles which they packed on the roads in the various Divisional Police Headquarters saying the vehicles were causing obstruction to traffic.

The Governor lamented that the Agege motor road has become almost impassable, forcing motorist going to Mushin from Ikeja to move through Ilupeju thereby putting pressure on Ikorodu Road.

"We have blocked access routs with gates. Agreed there is security problem but rather than solve it we have created more problems for ourselves" he said.

He thanked the members of the State House of Assembly for their quick action on the bill and for their initiative and commitment to work with the Executive to solve the problem of traffic congestion or at least reduce it to a barest minimum.

Signed
HAKEEM BELLO
SSA TO H.E ON MEDIA
MAY 13, 2008

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www.marykay.com/adanna

About time too...

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Good! So, those for ghetto areas aka Ajegunle, Isale Eko, Mushin and co. won't have an excuse to do street parties anymore now.

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I am what I am.

Haha no more owambe on the streets of Lagos

Good! This will give the neighbours the opportunity to enjoy their night sleep with peace of mind.

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EVERYBODY SHOULD GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT...ENCOURAGEMENT IS OXYGEN FOR THE SOUL.

Na wa oooh !!

@Simisola .........Thank God this ~ Tasteless, Mediocre,lowlife,miscreantic,bush,Omo-shameful yorubatic activity has been banned !!!

Huge step!!

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http://www.marykay.com/sashaye/default.aspx

A much as i am for a solution to congestion i cant help but also add the fact that the law will only benefit the wealthy!

What about the low income families who cant afford to shell out N600,000 to rent a hall for one night?

What will happen to them?

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30 DAYS THE MOVIE
Simply Rita
NMO PRODUCTIONZ

It is about time. No more street parties.

That's not true!

Well Dee ...they are not saying they should not have their frequent~weekend ~owambe~block paree they are only banning them from sealing off the road. Meaning the chairs and table could be placed anywhere but not on a road cars should still be able to get around.

I think it is very doable ...they will get use to it.

It

Not quite yet.What about the loud mushroom aladura churches and moshalashis?They still need to do something about those before peace of mind reigns and llagos citizens can enjoy their good night sleep.

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Gbekele!Gbekele!Arugbo je gbese!Ta ni o san!

I thought about that too...when I went home although Ghana in this case, the churches kept the entire neighborhood awake every single night...it was so disturbing that I moved to my dad's compound in another area of Accra.... From what I heard, there were several churches in that area and all of them always had some kind of ceremony going on each night. The singing and dancing lasted threw out the night…the good thing though was that when we were inside the house, it was only a distance noise until we came out for fresh air and sat on the veranda…then it sounded like they were right next door…

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"God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it."

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Thank you.

It got to a point, in a part of Lagos we once lived, where it became a competition of 'who can shout the loudest' between these two groups. It used to be so annoying but we sort of accepted it as the norm as we Lagosians do (or are forced to) with most things.

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