By Tony Marinho

Why do governments introduce draconian fees and fines, often backdated? The same governments refuse to pre-emptively prevent government agency officials from extorting or stealing.

All uniformed officials in Nigeria seem to make a dedicated habit of disgracing their own uniforms by unbridled bribery and corruption.

Yes, we hear of one or two sackings of uniformed services for bribe-taking, but the number of cases is tiny compared to the huge numbers involved.

Preventive supervision and self-controls too poor and the bribe-takers get away with no criminal charges or jail time.

Just look at the nauseating story of Nigeria’s stolen money exemplified by the ‘Abacha Loot’ series now in part 10.

How many more parts to the sordid Abacha Loot story? How many citizens have suffered from that theft? The money is to be used for two roads and the 2nd Niger Bridge. Amen

Traffic Fines which ‘Rubbish Naira, Nigerians’: It defies financial, political and moral logic to sit in a Nigerian state council meeting or state assembly and approve draconian fines for road offences amounting to more than a minimum monthly wage, N30,000 and up to six months minimum wage.

Do they expect citizens to steal to pay these fines? In contrast, the fines in London are £80-130 where the minimum wage is £7-9/hour or £50-63/day. That is 1-2 days minimum wage maximum.

Although some people in Lagos are wealthy, they are the minority. The majority of vehicles are owned or run by citizens with far less than N20,000 in their pockets after monthly expenses.

Most do not earn N50,000/month. So, where did N200,000, N150,000, N100,000, N50,000 fines come into the wildest imagination of the traffic authorities, in Lagos in particular, as ‘traffic fines’? Those who were part of this astronomical increase in fines need to be cautioned, censured and mentally examined for bringing the government into disrepute.

Their concept of money also needs analysing as they are attempting to ‘Devalue the naira’ or at least ‘Make the Naira Rubbish’ in the minds of citizens.

The governor should step in and reverse/reduce these ludicrous fines. Fines are deterrents but government must have facilities to encourage business in the state.

Where are the car parks? It seems that parking to even drop a passenger has been outlawed in Lagos.

It would interest the citizens if the government can point out the ‘Car Parks’ being made for citizens to park- or is it a crime to own a car and not have a driver?

Nigeria has always failed at mass transit.  The evidence is the relentless growth of mono-transport first for political reasons -dashing Okada to youth as misplaced economic empowerment.

The other reason is more sinister. Crime, robbery, banditry and terrorism as well as the long list of victims of ‘The Okada Epidemic’ with nearly every Nigerian having witnessed those injured and dead from high speed Okada crashes or attacks nationwide.

Read Also: Group backs Okada, Keke ban

Mass transit is an easy enough modern development concept to comprehend. More and bigger buses please! For every 60-seater bus trip with one engine and one driver and one conductor we do not have on the road, we need 60 Okadas with 60 engine trips and 60 driver trips.

The partial ban on Okada and keke napep in Lagos follows similar bans in many states which have led to Okada and keke napep fleeing those states and relocating and strangling states like Lagos and Oyo where they are not banned.

Every single roundabout and junction is clogged by 20-50 Okada, slowing traffic adding hours to travel time. In addition, with no laws or training they think they are cars and ride middle of the road endangering everyone, pedestrian, passenger and driver of other vehicles with their dangerous high-speed antics.

They operate with a dangerous herd or mob mentality and swarm like hornets around any accident, often giving rough justice to vehicle occupants even when they, the Okadas, are at fault.

The ‘Okada Epidemic’ is a curse that has negatively impacted millions of homes with loss of tens of thousands of lives of loved ones, lost parents and children and maybe millions of limbs and broken heads and backs with resultant billions in lost earnings.

China is calculating the loss to the economy from Coronavirus at up to $60b, worldwide far higher. Has NISER calculated the cost to Nigeria’s economy and global warming of the more than 1-1.5 million motorcycle/keke napep engines nationwide? NISER should add the huge medical cost of hospital treatment, operations, rehabilitation of the probably one million injured and killed by Okada and also ‘loss of earnings’ for the dead and injured.

Anyone who saw the level of care given to our late great Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh and her heroic sick colleagues should still have nightmares about Nigeria’s ability to provide isolation systems.

Thankfully it appears that reasonable modern isolation facilities and staff are available in 2020, certainly in Lagos.

Today Dr Li Wenliang, aged 34, who heroically first raised the Coronavirus alarm and was disgraced has also died of Coronavirus now affecting 37,500+ people infected with 813 or 2% deaths.

Nigeria has no Coronavirus case but has lost health personnel including two doctors to Lassa virus and more to the deadly Boko haram virus.

Medical staff suffer and must protect themselves and their patients from highly dangerous viruses, including the ‘Okada Epidemic’ and other diseases, murderous terrorists and even irate relatives all taking their deadly toll.