The Lagos State Government, through its Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), has sealed Vaniti Club House in Victoria Island for allegedly contravening the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
The government stated that the move was to preserve public order and ensure the seamless mobility of persons and vehicles within the metropolis.
According to the government, the club’s actions on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, have not only disrupted traffic flow but have posed substantial risks to public safety.
It added that defiant infringement of established traffic laws, particularly persistent facilitation of illegal roadside parking and flagrant encroachment upon public highways.
During the enforcement led personally by the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, on Monday, the club staff and owner were reminded of the appeals made by the government representatives during stakeholders’ engagements, which were never yielded to.
Addressing the management, Bakare-Oki said: “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 added.
“It bears reiterating 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.
“Despite a series of exhaustive sensitization efforts, including sustained public enlightenment campaigns, direct stakeholder engagements, and multiple official warnings, the management of Veniti Club House has remained intransigent, choosing 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”.
