The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has warned skit makers and filmmakers to refrain from the unauthorised portrayals of the agency in the media using its uniforms and related items.
The agency also warned of legal consequences from the government, for those who fail to comply with the regulations.
This information was conveyed in a statement released by LASTMA‘s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, and signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Taofiq Adebayo, on Thursday, February 15.
Bakare-Oki emphasised the wrongful depiction of LASTMA in these comedy skits and films by cinematographers who do not bother to seek permission from the agency beforehand.
The statement reads in part:
“The Management of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has completed all necessary arrangements to prosecute any skit or filmmakers caught using the Agency’s uniform or its affiliated color, kits, and accouterments without authorisation from the Government.
“Using LASTMA uniform without recourse to Section 79 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, criminalises such unauthorized use.
“Film or skit makers who portray as LASTMA officers without applying for, and being duly issued a permit letter for such portrayals, should desist with immediate effect or face the full wrath of the law.”
Bakare-Oki also urged the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners and other affiliated bodies to caution members against disobeying the directive.
He added that anyone found in violation will be effectively dealt with according to the stipulations of the law.
“We implore the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners and other affiliated bodies to warn their members.
“Anyone caught using LASTMA uniform without an approved permit will be prosecuted in accordance with ‘Section 79 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015,” he stated.
This warning is one of many others that the traffic management agency has issued in recent times, following the rise in social media comedy skits and movies where the actors adorn the counterfeit LASTMA uniforms to create their arts.