Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s government has insisted Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) is constitutionally empowered to collect parking levies in the state.

Commissioner for Transportation, Frederick Oladeinde, disclosed this in Ikeja at a news conference to sensitise stakeholders and the public on the mandates and activities of the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA).

Mr Oladeinde said a post was recently circulated on social media in which LASPA issued a letter signed by its general manager, levying a Lekki-based company N290,000 for the parking lot outside its premises, insisting LASPA has the power by law to collect parking levies.

The commissioner added that the agency was established, among other things, to promote parking policies tailored to suit the peculiarity of the state, in line with modern international standards and aimed at achieving a smart city.

He explained that LASPA was also empowered to remove all impediments arising from indiscriminate parking on carriageways, thereby increasing the carriageway capacity on the roads, improving the flow of traffic and reducing travel time.

“Let me emphasise that most private commercial parks charge Lagosians between N500 to N1,000 parking dues per hour, and each person parking at these respective parks can have four stop-overs, which sum up to N2,000 or N4,000 daily,” the Lagos commissioner argued. “At the end of the year, the commercial park owner will realise over N182,500 or N365,000 if charges are per hour or gain a total N730,000 or N1,460,000 for four stop-overs. This is the price most Lagosians pay to commercial park owners.”

He further claimed that LASPA’s levy of N80,000 divided by the number of days in a year resulted in N219 “against the above charges of commercial park owners.” 

The Lagos commissioner further noted that the difference “is clear as the government is quite considerate and responsive in making the environment conducive for all.”

Commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, stressed that the claims that the government would levy people for parking in their private residences were false.

“It is not true. It is an attempt to malign the government by mischievous people. We are not surprised to see things like this because we are in the season of politics,” Mr Omotoso pointed out. “When it comes to this kind of matter, everybody seems to be an expert. Everybody seems to be a lawyer.”

(NAN)