For the Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, these are certainly not the best of times.
The commissioner who used to be a powerful figure in the administration of Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has been relegated to the background in the ministry he heads no thanks to the multi-million naira scam which rocked the state Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) recently.
When Opeifa came into the government in 2007 as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transport, he was put directly in charge of LASTMA. Everything on the agency then revolved round him: recruitment, training, discipline and even dismissal of officers employed by the agency.
Due to the strategic function of the agency, Opeifa was virtually the man in charge at the state Ministry of Transport relegating the substantive Commissioner, Professor Bamidele Badejo to the background. So to many observers of event in Alausa, the fact that Professor Badejo was not renominated as a commissioner in 2011 never came as a surprise. “Opeifa has virtually usurped his authority and we were not surprised when the man (Badejo) was not nominated again,” source told us.
At the height of his power, he took in Sola Giwa from Lagos Island who was appointed the Special Assistant to the Governor on LASTMA.
Due to his closeness to Giwa and what some described as an attempt gain inroad politically into Lagos Island, Opeifa ceded so much power to the young man. One of the most important authorities granted Sola was the power to either write off or reduce fine imposed on erring motorists by LASTMA officials spread across the nooks and crannies of the state and this is where the influence and popularity of Sola spread in the state but at the detriment of the state revenue generation.
Sola, born, bred and trained in Lagos, is very popular among youths especially in his native Lagos Island hence he was bombarded daily with numerous requests to either reduce or cancel fines imposed on motorists who either have relation with him or linked to his numerous friends.
The bubble burst when the state audited the account of LASTMA and it was allegedly discovered that over N250 million was missing and this was allegedly traced to the activities of Sola Giwa.
This discovery led to a serious scandal in the ministry and Opeifa as the head of the ministry who was the direct supervisor of Sola was summoned by the Governor. His explanation that he was not aware of the scandal did not hold water.
Fashola wielded the big stick: Sola Giwa was redeployed while LASTMA was taken away from the supervision of Opeifa.
Investigation revealed that Opeifa’s influence in LASTMA has totally reduced. “He is no more in charge. Recruitment, discipline and training are no more his purview,” our source added.
We learnt that Fashola has made LASTMA an independent agency devoid of any control from the parent ministry – transport.
Babatunde Edu, who is the Chief Operating Officer/General Manager (COO/GM) is now totally in charge and this medium can reveal that he takes instruction directly from the Governor.
“He (Edu) does not take instruction from Opeifa. He has even told him once point blank that he (Opeifa) is not his boss,” our source added.
Other agencies under the jurisdiction of Opeifa’s ministry equally have independent status: the Motor Vehicle Administration Authority (MVAA) and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) are run by officers who are not directly under the supervision of Opeifa.
Equally, both Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) and LAGBUS are run separately with little or no supervision from the state Ministry of Transport.
-thegazellenews
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