LASTMA, ATCA partner on mental health, trauma awareness workshop for officers

Michael Olumide

Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), in collaboration with the African Trauma Care Alliance (ATCA), has organised a two-day intensive workshop for Principal Officers under the Community Trauma Awareness Campaign 2026 at the LASTMA Training Institute in Oshodi.

According to the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, the initiative, themed “Restoring minds and building trauma-informed communities,” was aimed at promoting emotional resilience, mental wellness, emotional intelligence and trauma-informed community engagement among officers and stakeholders.

Speaking during the programme, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, stressed the importance of prioritising mental health and emotional well-being, particularly among public servants who regularly encounter stressful and emotionally demanding situations in the course of duty.

Bakare-Oki noted that traffic management personnel are often exposed to traumatic experiences, including fatal road accidents, confrontations with motorists, hazardous environmental conditions and emergency rescue operations, all of which can have lasting psychological effects if not properly managed.

According to him, the workshop represents a strategic investment in human capital development, designed to equip officers with emotional resilience, coping strategies and empathetic leadership skills necessary for improved service delivery and institutional efficiency.

He further commended the organisers and mental health advocates for initiating what he described as a timely and transformative programme capable of strengthening institutional resilience while fostering healthier interpersonal relationships within society.

The General Manager reiterated LASTMA’s commitment to personnel welfare and sustainable organisational growth through continuous training and mental health support initiatives.

Also speaking at the workshop, President of the Jars Traumatic Stress Institute and Founder of the African Trauma Care Alliance (ATCA), Akindotun Meiro, disclosed that one in every three individuals globally experiences a mental health condition during their lifetime, with trauma remaining one of the leading contributing factors.

She explained that traumatic experiences resulting from economic hardship, political instability, communal conflicts, gender-based violence, kidnapping, domestic abuse, wars and other societal disruptions continue to inflict severe psychological scars on millions of people across the world.

Professor Meiro further observed that untreated trauma extends beyond emotional pain, contributing significantly to chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders and persistent emotional dysfunction capable of undermining productivity, relationships and social harmony.

Participants at the workshop were also sensitised to the strong relationship between emotional wellness and physical health, with facilitators emphasising the need for accessible and quality mental healthcare services within communities and institutions.

Organisers explained that the annual Traumatic Stress Awareness Walk, championed by the Jars Education Group in partnership with collaborators of the African Trauma Care Alliance, has evolved into a global movement promoting mental wellness and supporting trauma survivors across Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Stakeholders at the event described the campaign as a collective call to humanity, stressing that trauma remains both treatable and manageable when communities intentionally create supportive environments that encourage healing, dialogue and emotional restoration.

The workshop concluded with renewed appeals to governments, organisations, healthcare professionals, educators and community leaders to intensify support for mental health advocacy initiatives aimed at dismantling stigma, promoting emotional wellness and restoring hope to individuals affected by traumatic stress.

The event formed part of LASTMA’s broader commitment to enhancing personnel welfare, institutional effectiveness and community-oriented service delivery across Lagos State.