ST Tamandu Marine Patrol Honours LASTMA on Norsemen International Day
By Our Correspondent
Every day, in the heat and noise of Lagos traffic, men and women in yellow uniforms stand their ground. They manage gridlock at some of the most congested junctions in Africa’s largest city. They direct, they enforce, and they absorb the frustration of millions of commuters without acknowledgement and, too often, without appreciation. Lagos is a city that does not pause, and LASTMA is one of the institutions that ensure it keeps moving. On Norsemen International Day, ST Tamandu Marine Patrol decided it was time to say so out loud.
A delegation from ST Tamandu Marine Patrol, led by Sailing Skipper Jubril Babatunde, visited the headquarters of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, to formally recognise the agency’s contribution to traffic management and public service in Lagos. The visit was part of the chapter’s observance of Norsemen International Day, a day that De Norsemen Kclub International dedicates to service, recognition, and community engagement. The theme chosen by ST Tamandu Marine Patrol for the occasion was deliberate: to appreciate LASTMA for its work in solving transport gridlock across the city.
Lagos is home to an estimated 22 million people, and its road network bears the full weight of that population every single day. The challenge of managing traffic flow in such an environment is not a bureaucratic inconvenience. It is a public safety responsibility with real consequences. Accidents, emergency response delays, economic losses, and the daily toll on commuter well-being are all directly connected to how effectively traffic is managed on Lagos roads. LASTMA officers, deployed across the city in some of its most demanding conditions, carry a significant share of that responsibility on their shoulders.
The centrepiece of the visit was the presentation of Meritorious Awards to General Manager Olawale Musa and ten other LASTMA staff members drawn from across Lagos metropolis, in recognition of the agency’s sustained efforts to manage one of the most complex urban traffic environments on the continent. The awards were presented by Chief Dr. Adeshola Qiwa, Skol Executioner of ST Tamandu Marine Patrol, in a ceremony at the LASTMA headquarters attended by senior officials of the agency, including Zonal Head Emmanuel Aladeseye of Zebra Zone 7, Ejigbo. The formality of the presentation was matched by the warmth of the reception. It was, by all accounts, a meeting between two organisations that understand what it means to show up for the public without expectation of applause.
General Manager Olawale Musa received the recognition on behalf of the agency and its officers, expressing appreciation for what he described as an unusual and deeply meaningful gesture. He noted that LASTMA officers perform their duties under significant pressure, frequently in difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions, and that public recognition of their work is rare. The visit by ST Tamandu Marine Patrol, he said, would serve as a genuine source of encouragement to officers across all levels of the agency. He expressed hope that the relationship between LASTMA and ST Tamandu Marine Patrol would continue to grow beyond the occasion.
Zonal Head Emmanuel Aladeseye of Zebra Zone 7, Ejigbo, who was also in attendance, commended the patrol for recognising that service to the public extends beyond the activities of non-profit organisations and into the work of public institutions like LASTMA that manage the daily infrastructure of city life. He noted that the collaboration between civil society and public agencies is an underutilised resource in Lagos and expressed the view that visits of this nature help build the kind of mutual respect that makes such collaboration possible.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sailing Skipper Jubril Babatunde said the choice to honour LASTMA was deliberate and considered. “Service to Humanity is our mandate,” he said. “But part of that mandate is recognising humanity in others. The men and women of LASTMA serve this city every single day, in traffic, in the rain, and under pressure that most people never see. We came to say that their work is seen, it is valued, and it deserves to be acknowledged.” He added that ST Tamandu Marine Patrol intends to make the recognition of unsung public servants a regular part of its community engagement calendar.
Chief Dr. Adeshola Qiwa, who presented the awards on behalf of the patrol, reflected on the significance of the occasion. “Recognition is itself a form of service,” he said. “When we acknowledge the people who serve others, we strengthen the culture of service itself. That is what we are doing here today.”
ST Tamandu Marine Patrol is the Lagos chapter of De Norsemen Kclub International, incorporated under RC 7458 and committed to community development, volunteer service, advocacy, and leadership. The LASTMA appreciation visit reflects the patrol’s understanding that service to the public is not the exclusive preserve of civil society. It is a shared responsibility, and those who fulfil it deserve to be seen.
Lagos is a city that demands everything of the people who keep it moving. On Norsemen International Day, ST Tamandu Marine Patrol stopped to say thank you. That is not a small thing.
For more information about ST Tamandu Marine Patrol and its community programmes, visit www.santatamandu.org
