The Lagos State Government has sealed the premises of Vaniti Club House over persistent and deliberate violations of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Bakare-Oki said the move was an assertion of its steadfast dedication to preserving public order and ensuring the seamless mobility of persons and vehicles within the metropolis.
Illegal parking, highway encroachment prompt closure
He said the enforcement action carried out at the club house located on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, was meticulously executed by the Agency’s Rescue and Compliance Unit.
“This was done due to the club’s habitual and defiant infringement of established traffic laws particularly its persistent facilitation of illegal roadside parking and flagrant encroachment upon public highways,” he said.
State law prohibits obstruction of traffic
According to him, these actions have not only disrupted traffic flow but have posed substantial risks to public safety.
He further explained that the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018, unequivocally proscribes any acts that obstruct vehicular movement or imperil the safety of road users, categorizing such conduct as a grievous statutory offence liable to punitive legal sanctions.
He said despite a series of exhaustive sensitization efforts including sustained public enlightenment campaigns, direct stakeholder’s engagements, and multiple official warnings the management of Verniti Club House had remained intransigent.
He added that they choose to perpetuate acts that undermine the operational integrity of the state’s traffic ecosystem, particularly within the high-traffic corridor of Victoria Island.
“Consequently, the state government has invoked its full regulatory powers to seal the premises indefinitely.
“This directive shall remain in effect until the establishment unequivocally demonstrates total and verifiable compliance with all extant traffic laws and ancillary regulatory frameworks.
“This enforcement initiative is not a one-off occurrence. It marks the beginning of a broader and sustained compliance campaign.
“We are actively monitoring other clubs, event centres, lounges, and recreational facilities particularly those that persist in impeding traffic flow by commandeering public roads and adjoining streets for private use,” he said.
Zero tolerance for traffic disruption
He said the Lagos State Government, via LASTMA, reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward any person, corporate body, or social enterprise that constituted an impediment to traffic orderliness or endangers the commuting public.
