The Lagos State Government has made it mandatory for event centres and club operators to seek official approval before hosting any party event to avoid gridlock.
Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, made this directive known in a statement during the week.
Oladeinde said that the new directive was a follow-up to an earlier one issued a week ago to event centres and clubs owners who were preparing for an event.
He said that the earlier directive had stated that stakeholders in the hospitality industry must first notify the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority before staging their events.
The commissioner explained that the approval would enable the state traffic agency make adequate parking arrangements in and around areas where such events would be holding.
He said that it was to prevent unnecessary gridlock.
The commissioner said that, henceforth, any operator that negated the directive would be sanctioned accordingly by the state government.
He said, “It has become necessary to come out with this decision for the good of all as this will allow LASTMA to plan for the management of the events such that, there will be free vehicular movement in and around the venue of the event, without obstructing traffic,” Oladeinde said.
The commissioner noted that illegal parking of vehicles on roads by event attendees and other merry makers had always resulted in gridlocks in the metropolis.
According to him, with this new arrangement, LASTMA will work with operators to plan for an efficient traffic management during and after such events to ease free flow of traffic.
He urged operators of event centres, clubs and other places of attraction across the state to abide by the rules and regulations of the state.
“Any commercial event centre, club or lounge that fails to obtain written approval from LASTMA for effective traffic planning will, henceforth, be shut down.
“Such may not be re-opened until their owners must have paid the necessary and stipulated fines,” Oladeinde said.
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