For the first time in my life, I found myself on the road heading to Ibadan when I was actually heading to Lagos. You see how officers who are funded with our taxes are keeping us and our roads safe! For a moment, I wondered, Is this my country?
Emmanuel Ukudolo l Friday, June 30, 2017
BENIN, Edo, Nigeria – It was in January 2015 when I decided to purchase 2007 CRV to replace the old Outlander which had become somehow problematic.
Having worked for almost 10 years in the Lagos State Governor’s Office, I decided to personally register the vehicle against the advice of the dealer.
At the Glass House, Alausa, one of the requirements for registration of vehicles is presentation of Customs papers for administrative purposes.
Mine wasn’t an exception. I had to prevail on the dealer to furnish me with the customs papers( a genuine bulky document of not less than 10 pages), with which I registered the vehicle. The C number for the CRV is C076270. Customs receipt is 35115 dated 30/07/12.
I also obtained other relevant documents, including Tinted Permit. Since then, usage of the CRV was confined to Lagos until Friday, June 23, when I decided to travel with my family including a 2 months old son to Otorho-Agbo, formerly Isiokolo in Ethiope East, Delta State for the public holiday.
It was a smooth journey all the way from Lagos with few stops by policemen who were quite professional except in few cases when some faulted my Tinted Permit on the ground that it was not current and adviced me to obtain what they called the latest, which they said has passport photograph of the car owner.
But as soon as I drove past Okada, Edo State, with just few metres from Ugbowo and at a speed of 80 kilometres per hour, some heavily armed customs men jumped on the expressway with their guns pointed at me, an ordinary civilian. I was forced to step on the brakes at the expense of my family including my little son.
I was ordered to park off the road. I complied and asked, you jumped into the highway while I am on top speed, you mean all this for government work, what if my brakes failed? But he said, “I did it because I know your brakes are good”.
Where is your customs papers? a young Customs officer inquired. I don’t have it here. Besides, I neither import nor sell vehicles was my reply.
“You better arrange yourself if you don’t have it or your vehicle will be impounded”, he said. I told him point blank that I am not arranging anything since I know that the car wasn’t smuggled into Nigeria. My effort to explain that the procedure in Lagos was presentation of genuine customs papers as a prerequisite for registration of a vehicle only landed me more insult from the superior officer, a bulky dark skinned and huge officer in civilian attire
“All of you in Lagos, including your governor are stupid people”, he said and dared me to call the governor. But I was in quangmire. The major phone where I had all my contacts is under repair at Raya Care Centre, Lagos. I could not reach anybody, even when I was asked to call the dealer to send the C number for confirmation. My wife has also lost the phone number of the dealer.
But luckily, Tetrona, the dealer was online. Through his website, my wife obtained his phone numbers and called. When he picked, he said he was on sick bed in the hospital and thus not in position to help.
But assured that the Customs papers are genuine. But somehow my little son became the saving grace. We were left to go after about 45 minutes delay by the customs command in Benin.
We departed and drove all the way to Delta State without any incident from policemen and soldiers.
We spent days in Otorho-Agbo and headed to Benin City on Monday, June 26th, spent the night in Benin and left Benin City at 7am on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. I didn’t know that another tough day lies ahead, this time with the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC in Benin City.
I started driving in 1993. Before mounting the steering, I had read at least three books, Car Driving in Two Weeks and two other books on road signs and driving. Besides, I had lived with a cousin, Kenneth who survived an accident just because he was wearing a seatbelt.
He was traveling to Ibadan, Oyo State when one of his tyres burst in motion. He stepped on the brakes forcing the 504 Peugeot to sommersault twice, shattering both front and rear wind shields. He simply unbuckled his seat belt while his legs were suspended and came out unscathed.
So, I knew the value of seatbelt. Before I drove out of the gate in Benin City that Tuesday, June 27, 2017, I ensured that I fastened my seatbelt.
Even when my brother-in-law, Joseph, who escorted us dropped off at Ugbowo, opposite University of Benin, forcing our house-help to relocate to the front seat, the car beeped twice and I had to ensure the house-help fastened her seatbelt before we continued the journey.
But just few metres away, after gaining some speed, we arrived at the FRSC Command checkpoint. A young officer in his late twenties jumped on the road as I meandered through the road block and forced me to stop.
I parked the car, lowered the side glass and greeted the young man at exactly 7:20 am. But he stunned me when he declared: ” Why did you fasten your seatbelt on seeing me? I was enraged. In my rage I shouted, your father! How can you look at my face, fabricate lies and say I fastened my seatbelt when I saw you”.
When he saw my reaction, he requested for my driver’s licence, I obliged. He requested for the other papers, I obliged. He checked and saw no infraction. Next he asked for fire extinguisher, forcing me to discharge my foodstuffs before I handed it over to him, he asked for ‘C Caution’, I obliged and when he checked and saw no infringement, he began to inspect my tyres but he saw nothing after which he handed over my papers and driver’s licence to his superior officer and said nothing.
After waiting for about 20 minutes of inaction, I approached the superior officer who said that my vehicle was in order but that he will book me for not wearing seatbelt.
Again, I was in a fix. I told him, you will book me for an offence I did not commit. “But I told you that it is not possible for me not to wear seatbelt since the vehicle will warn me of the development. That your officer told a lie”, I insisted. I even asked him to test out the officer that I am insisting that we should swear to get the officer to say the truth. But he said he has already sworn as an officer. I guess telling lies has become the coded language of the command for extorting Nigerians.
Again he insisted on booking me for alleged refusal to fasten seatbelt. At this point, I asked him to go ahead. I promised to pay the fine but that before leaving Benin City, I will swear and I sat by the side of the road to await his response.
His colleague and my wife however prevailed on him and he saw reason not to carryout his threat. I left after apologising for abusing the young lier. But I was not myself throughout the journey to Lagos, I was deep in thought and as I approached Lagos, I did not know when I missed my way.
For the first time in my life, I found myself on the road heading to Ibadan when I was actually heading to Lagos. You see how officers who are funded with our taxes are keeping us and our roads safe! For a moment, I wondered, Is this my country?
I have travelled out of Nigeria on several occasion, Customs or the equivalent of FRSC neither harass nor tell lies to extort taxpayers. They do their work professionally. You may deem this piece as a delebrate attempt to de-market Nigeria.
Too bad if that is what you think. But since we have harkened to the patriotic “Andrew” by not checking out, we will not change the system if we continue to keep our mouth shut to injustice of this nature.
So what is your own experience on Nigerian roads. Write your comments here or send it to [email protected].
