The Lagos State Government said it is waiving fines on vehicles impounded for committing minor traffic offenses.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, on Tuesday, said Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had extended the palliative measures by ensuring that vehicles impounded for minor traffic offenses were returned to their owners with the fines waived.
“When you look at what the governor proposed, especially during the cash crunch period, we have reduced public transport fare by 50%,” Oladeinde said.
“So when you go on our BRTs and all the Lagos state funded public transport, including Lag Ride, we have reduced the fare by 50% just to alleviate the suffering of our people.
“Apart from that, moving away from transport, we have opened up food banks in certain areas.”
The commissioner said the waiving of fines is part of government’s initiative to cushion the effect of the cash crunch due to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Naira redesign policy.
Oladeinde expressed optimism that the CBN policy will be reversed after the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu was declared winner of the presidential election.
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“So we’re hoping that in a short time, life would return back to normal but in terms of public transport, I think we’ve reduced fare by 50%.
“There are some people that committed offences during that period and we understand the fact that money wasn’t easy to come by.
“Looking at the governor’s magnanimity, the governor has deemed it fit to ensure that people who committed crimes within that period and wanted to pay or couldn’t pay as a result of the shortage of cash, they should come and pick up their cars and he has waved the fines.
“Mind you, that does not include major crimes committed. These are just minor traffic offences that have been committed in Lagos and this is showing empathy and trying to understand that look, we understand how difficult it has been and it is not a reason for us to stop you from making ends meet and so hence the governor’s magnanimity.”
