LASTMA Hosts Trauma Awareness Campaign, Trains Principal Officers on Mental Wellness

LASTMA Hosts Trauma Awareness Campaign, Trains Principal Officers on Mental Wellness

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has organised a two-day intensive workshop for its Principal Officers as part of the Community Trauma Awareness Campaign 2026 aimed at promoting emotional resilience, mental wellness and institutional growth among personnel.

The workshop, held at the LASTMA Training Institute in Oshodi in collaboration with the African Trauma Care Alliance, was themed: “Restoring Minds and Building Trauma-Informed Communities.”

Speaking during the programme, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, stressed the importance of prioritising mental health and emotional well-being among public servants, especially traffic officers who are regularly exposed to emotionally challenging situations.

According to him, officers often encounter fatal road accidents, confrontations with motorists, emergency rescue operations and other distressing incidents capable of affecting their psychological health.

Bakare-Oki noted that the workshop was a strategic investment in human capital development designed to equip officers with emotional resilience, coping mechanisms and empathetic leadership skills necessary for effective service delivery.

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

In her presentation, President of the Jars Traumatic Stress Institute and Founder of the African Trauma Care Alliance, Akindotun Meiro, disclosed that one in every three people globally experiences a mental health condition during their lifetime, with trauma identified as a major contributing factor.

She explained that economic hardship, political instability, communal conflicts, gender-based violence, kidnapping, domestic abuse and wars continue to inflict psychological trauma on millions of people across the world.

The workshop also highlighted the impact of untreated trauma on physical and emotional health, noting that traumatic stress contributes to chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disorders and emotional dysfunction capable of affecting productivity and social stability.

Participants were sensitised on the relationship between emotional wellness and physical health, while facilitators advocated improved access to quality mental healthcare services.

Organisers further noted that the annual Traumatic Stress Awareness Walk, championed by the Jars Education Group in partnership with the African Trauma Care Alliance and other collaborators, has grown 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 for communities to create supportive environments that encourage healing, dialogue and emotional restoration.

The workshop concluded with renewed calls on governments, healthcare professionals, educators, organisations and community leaders to intensify support for mental health advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing stigma and restoring hope to trauma survivors.