Some months ago, the Lagos State Government sounded a word of caution to road users concerning the use of siren in the state. The governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, while issuing the caution noted, among other things, that the use of siren constituted an unacceptable slur on the traffic management system of the state. Fashola, who specifically referred to visiting governors and public officials in his address, pleaded for patience while on the roads even as he stressed that there was no need terrorising other road users.

"I have successfully demonstrated that you need patience and not siren to negotiate through traffic in Lagos. I seek the cooperation of all and sundry to demonstrate its benefits including visiting governors and other public officials", the governor said.

"Let us get rid of these nuisance on which we spend millions of our hard earned money to keep the producers in Europe and America in business while we use it to terrorise the tax payers whom we serve". However several months have past but the governor's advise seems to hold no water because day in day out motorists are still being terrorised by the siren users who have come to see the use of siren as nothing but status symbol.

An incident which is an indicator to this misconception occurred on Friday around Mile 2 (Oke) along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. An unmarked siren-blaring vehicle piloting a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) nearly caused what would have become a ghastly multiple accidents. There was a slight traffic jam caused by some vehicles that were trying to descend down to the Mile 2 bridge to Lagos-Badary Expressway. The driver of the vehicle with siren suddenly triggered off and blared it menacingly. This abrupt action threw other motorists into quandary and as they tried to avoid the intimidating vehicle, ran into one another. The saving grace however was that the siren driver was not speeding compared with the blaring of the siren, yet a female passenger was not that lucky as a commercial bus 'brushed' her and she fell and had dislocation in one of her legs and bruise in her arm. Some good Samaritans came to her help but then the siren-blaring vehicle had disappearance into the distance not knowing the near-death situation it had caused.

" Where are they (the occupiers) rushing to that they want to snuff live out of fellow human beings with over-speeding", asked a passerby.

"May God save us in this country; everything we do is different from other civilised people", remarked a witness at the scene. Another reference point to what siren can cause was the one that involved Ozoma Okere and some naval ratings officers escorting Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade when Ozoma was beating blue for allegedly not clearing off the road in time while the siren was blaring.

There is no doubt that many people would be very happy if the directives on the use of siren is observed in the state, because of its abuse by both private and public officers.

"It should be banned outright in all the states of the federation. Of what use is siren for someone who already has security men to protect him or her. If they find themselves in heavy traffic, rather than scare people, the security men ought to help in clearing the traffic", said Benson Akindele. Akindele told Daily Independent that the first experience he had was when a siren-blazing vehicle riding roughshod on the road and terrifying other road users and he was trying to get off the road in a hurry and swerved his car but ended up hitting a big concrete by the gutter which did not only damaged his vehicles but caused bodily injury to him.

Ordinarily siren ought to be used during emergency like when an ambulance is moving a sick person to the hospital or when fire fighters are racing to the scene of an inferno, but to demonstrate the characteristic impatience that has become the trade mark of many Nigerians, at any slightest of hold-up, any vehicle that has a siren would activate it and add more commotion into an already chaotic situation on the road. There are many vehicles that have sirens, from military, para-military, security outfit, private individuals and those referred to 'money miss road' among others. To obtain permission to use siren is an easy one and it appears they are not acquired for any other purpose but to terrorise defenseless individuals on the street .

Ezekiel Isidahomen, the President Queens School of Security Management and Studies (QSSMS) Lagos did not only condemn the indiscriminate use of the instrument, saying "it is a kind of environmental nuisance" but maintained that "it shows the tendencies of Nigerians to overate themselves". He shared the state government concern but expressed worry that the pronouncement may not take effect judging by the past record.

According to him, moves had been made in the past to restrict the use of siren to some specific personalities but the rules were floated as soon as they were made. To the security expert, the appropriate time siren ought to be used is when there is an emergency situation and advised that the state government should be firm to ensure that the indiscriminate use is stopped even as he suggested outright arrest of anyone who flouts the order this time around. "People should learn to respect simple law. Anyone who flouts it should be arrested and prosecuted", he said.

The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Bishop Law Edema wondered where those using the siren derived their power from, concluding that it is an unnecessary display of power and influence.

"Is the use of siren in the constitution?, he queried, adding that in civilised societies it is never used the way it is being used in this country.

"At least I have been to many parts of the world. You will not even know that the president is passing but here even Aide-de-Camp (ADC) use it".

He said he was in support of Fashola's position on the use of siren on Lagos roads because apart from the fact that the practice is at variance with what obtains internationally, it also has health implication.

Also expressing his view about the state government's move, a commercial bus driver who gave his name as Muti maintained that it is a right step in the right direction because the practice has been so abused. To him, it seems anybody that the use of siren catches his fancy go for it and so it has become a commonplace on the road. Besides, he asserted that the drivers of vehicles with siren are more reckless than any other motorists because they can easily scare other road user. He maintained that they contribute to many of the accidents that happen on the roads.

"We don't even know who has the right to use it or not because it looks like anybody who likes just put it on his vehicle. And once they put it there, they want every other road users to run out of the road once they are coming; they are very reckless and have many accidents on the roads", he said.

http://www.independentngonline.com/news/metr/article01

Lagos is a state that is uniquely different from others because of its peculiarity as a heavily populated settlement charaterised by incessant traffic jams. So how far it can go in effecting the minimal use of siren, let alone stop its abuse is left to be seen as it is moving towards its mega city with construction and renovation of the roads to make driving less stressful.