For involving in gross misconduct bothering on corruption,
and indiscipline, the Lagos State Government has sacked 157 officers of the
Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
Our correspondent learnt that the dismissed LASTMA
officers were dragged to the Personnel Management Board, a disciplinary organ
of government to prove their innocence but failed to convince the board hence
they were sacked.
The PMB, satisfied that they were no-longer fit in the
service, while the Civil Service Commission issued sacked letters to the
affected officers. It was further gathered that the sacked officers also had
cases of corruption, certificate forgery, bribery and dereliction of duty
leveled against them.
According to a reliable source, the names of another batch
of about 50 LASTMA officers had just been forwarded to the Personnel Management
Board to look into cases of gross misconduct against them, as more LASTMA
officers might be sacked in few weeks to come.
It will be recalled that over 250 LASTMA officers were
dismissed last year by the government for gross misconduct, corruption, among
others.
As sanitization exercise continues in LASTMA, the state
government had before now said the authority would not tolerate indolence and
indiscipline in any form, warning that officers whose conduct would tarnish the
image of the state would be shown the way out. The government urged the public
to report officers found misbehaving in the cause of performing their official
duties to the government for appropriate sanction and discipline.
To instill discipline in the officers, the state
government last year embarked on career evaluation training of LASTMA officers
in batches where they were taught to be professionals and civilised in dealing
with the public. They were also made to undergo community services, but such
training had been a ruse for some of them who were bent on tarnishing the image
of the government.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa said
government would not condone any form of indiscipline among LASTMA officers.
Opeifa said, “The LASTMA authority is strict in applying disciplinary measures
as nobody that has done wrong will go unpunished.”
Credits to By Oluwole Farotimi
sunnewsonline.com
