21st October, 2016.
His
Excellency, President Mohammadu Buhari GCFR
President and Commander-in-Chief
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Aso Rock Villa, Three Arms Zone
Abuja-FCT.
Your Excellency,
THE
TRAFFIC WARDEN SERVICE BILL (SB100). A GOOD RADIANT TO END BAD RUBBISH.
With due respect to
our dear President and Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari GCFR; I
write on behalf of the above-named NGO to draw the attention of His Excellency
and the incumbent Chief Economic Driver to the nation and other sincere
well-wishers and patriotic Planners of the nation to the magnitude of the
Traffic Warden Service Bill (SB100) currently at its final stage of passage to
an Act of the National Assembly. We have to bring these issues to Mr.
President, to be on the safe side, to collectively save the nation from the
tendency of endemic official massive brigandage, corruption, illegalities,
fraudulent, willful and recalcitrant act, insincerity, rebellion, hypocrisy,
indiscipline and culpable unilateral actions and the negative manner things are
done unabated in this part of the world. As
demanded of us as patriots, there is need for Nigerians to embrace the Change
mantra.
2. Your Excellency,
the NGO’s attention is drawn to the Committee’s Report submitted by the Senate
Committee on Police Affairs, to the Senate Plenary after the Public Hearing the
Committee graciously conducted on the Traffic Warden Service Bill (SB100), that
also berated and faulted Nigeria Police unilateral actions on Traffic Wardens
and Nigeria Police noticeable campaign of calumny against the establishment of
other Paramilitary Agencies that are meant to handle functions, to create
division of labour, focus, efficiency and specialization in the Public Service.
The Bill received overwhelming support from the Stakeholders during the Public
Hearing, as no one presented counter argument to the passage of the Bill
exception of the Police. The atmosphere
on the event of the Public Hearing gave hope to Traffic Wardens; the dream of
having their mother Service attaining her deserving independence after 43 years
of interminable apprenticeship, modern slavery and labourious servitude under
the regime of Nigeria Police unilateral impropriety.
However, it is
worrisome that, the Committee’s Report conspicuously ignored and otherwise
brushed aside most relevant factors raised by the NGO through her memorandum that
supports and favoured the inevitable de-merge of the Traffic Warden Service
from Nigeria Police though. For
instance:-
(a) The question of
the Traffic Warden Service being a
separate Establishment from that of
Nigeria Police; the unconscionable conscription of Traffic Wardens to come under the
Nigeria Police without recourse to their Establishment, is not captured in the
Report. Why would an Establishment set-up by the Federal Government for the purpose of rendering invaluable
service to the public on the road; create
opportunity for mass employment and to generate of income into the Coffers of the Federal Government
be so intransigently undermined, ridiculed and brought under the dictatorship
and/or overshadowed by another Establishment and made to rather remained a
dependent and a parasitic Body without any form of development; Nigeria Police
inhuman actions blocking all available opportunities opened for Traffic Wardens
to excel in the Police institution particularly and the Public Service in
general; relegates Traffic Wardens to the background; made Traffic Wardens to
look inconsequential and have their rights inhumanly eroded and trampled upon
while the Police intentionally hijacked and dominated Traffic Wardens on the
road traffic control function and tactically mortgages the road traffic control
function to other untrained Agencies. Above all, the same Nigeria Police takes
solace in working hypocritically against the emancipation of the Traffic Warden
Service. Such unilateral impropriety of
a Police is NOT obtainable anywhere in the universe.
(b) The Report
failed to outline the Court of Appeal
judgment delivered by revered Jurists, that granted autonomy to the Traffic
Warden Service on the 18th
of May, 2000 and where the Nigeria Police unmindfully neglected the
judgment and failed to challenge the
ruling at the Supreme Court within the time frame.
(c) As fundamental
as the complaints and submission of
the NGO remains critical, exposing Nigeria Police unilateral and
culpable actions and terrible social injustice meted out to Traffic Wardens,
leading to unspeakable predicament; openly cheated on Traffic Wardens,
relegated the Traffic Warden Service Personnel to the background irrespective
of Wardens’ educational qualifications and experience, without a sense of
belonging in the Public Service. Such Police unilateral actions caused the
Traffic Wardens to suffer terrible social injustice, irreparable damages and
irretrievable losses in the Public Service. The Report skipped it.
(d) The Report
brushed aside the realities that, Crime
Prevention, internal security of lives and properties and prosecution of
Criminals and, the road
traffic control function are two distinctive, sprawling and demanding
functions that cannot be combined, handled and/or performed effectively by one
Organization. The two functions
requires proper attention, specialization and focus be given to each of them
respectively. The Report failed to tell the Police point-blank that the
Nigeria Police cannot cope combining
these two sprawling functions of such magnitude under her umbrella of
inefficient, unserious, incompetent and abysmal failed Organization. This is
why there are leakages everywhere on the road traffic subsector. It is not possible for Nigeria Police to
perform or be in these two functions and/or be expected to effectively deliver
quality service.
(e)The Report shielded the massive corruption that the
Nigeria Police indulges her Personnel in and the Billions garners from the
road traffic subsector, where the
Police fraudulently rob the Federal Government of such huge unremitted
accruable income from the road. The laxity and the shoddiness, lack of interest or the zeal
to perform the practical job of traffic control that also created a vacuum
on the subsector which invariably led to where State Governments set-up
individual traffic management Agencies to cover-up the yawning vacuum created
by Nigeria Police rebellion, while the
Police tactically mortgages the road traffic control function to these
untrained Agencies, to the detriment of Traffic Wardens (the supposed
owners of the function).
(f)The Report rather
highlighted Police deceitful and
propounded argument of duplication of function. That, the FRSC and
the VIO performs the same job on the road. The
FRSC and VIO don’t perform intra-city road traffic control. These
Agencies are not stable. They perform their functions here and there. It is
only Traffic Wardens that are always found permanently in road junctions
controlling traffic. If the FRSC
performs traffic control, why did the FRSC sponsored an amendment Bill in the
NASS, in 2012, requesting to be allowed to take-over the shoddy and
stage-managed intra-city road traffic control from Nigeria Police? If the FRSC and the VIO are performing
the job of traffic control on the road, where then is the place of Traffic
Wardens in the road traffic function? Why are the Police also on the
road traffic control function? Why did the Police failed to complain or see
the duplication of function in such quadrupled (Police/Traffic Wardens, FRSC
and VIO) arrangement all these years. Now that the Police are expected to
vacate the road traffic control function, courtesy of the TWS Bill, to allow
Traffic Warden Service the leverage to squarely take charge and have focus on
the traffic control function, it is now the Police are hypocritically crying
wolf, raising and propounding implausible argument about the duplication of
function. Such is uncalled for. The
National Assembly has a duty to save the nation from such brazen act of
rebellion and brigandage on our roads involving Nigeria Police, to sanitize the
road and equally create mass employment through the Traffic Warden Service and,
the need to overhaul the road traffic subsector. The Police are cheating on
Nigeria so much. The Lawmakers should
ignore Nigeria Police inconsistent, deceitful and implausible propounded
argument. They should face their primary duty and leave the road. There is
conspicuous increase in crime rate. The Nigeria Police should remain focused
on crime prevention and leave the road traffic control for Traffic Wardens.
(g)The Report also
failed to capture the pragmatic innovative and articulated ‘Traffic Warden Service Project’
meticulously put in place as advocated that is to overhaul, reshape and inject
purposefulness in the road traffic control subsector; with the aim to
revitalize, resuscitate and change the conventional method of traffic
dispensing and where the road has to be
made stress-free and flowing to the Road Users, devoid of the usual gridlocks
and traffic congestion in our cities and urban towns; create mass employment
for 1,400,000 Nigerians and millions of indirect jobs for service
providers; curb loss of man-hours that is
incessantly lost owing to the terrible hold-ups and, make the road beneficiary
to the Government through official generation of revenue/income from the road traffic activities including
the construction of High-Rise
Commercial Car Parks at strategic points all over the metropolitan
cities and urban towns.
3. Your Excellency, public interest override individual,
personal or Nigeria Police interest. It is crystal clear that, the Police
are mischief makers, hypocritically bent on maintaining her presence on the
road traffic control subsector, at all cost to further their illicit business
and fraudulent extortion tendency and corrupt intentions. That is where their
interest lies rather than on the practical job of road traffic control service.
With the reality that, Nigeria Police is
NOT a revenue-yielding Organization; equally, the Police don’t maintain the roads.
The Police should have no business collecting revenue from the road. Such is
illegal and criminal. The Traffic
Warden Service Bill is therefore a good radiance to end such bad rubbish.
The NGO and Traffic
Wardens are not against the merging of Agencies that performs their functions
around the road and the vehicle. Nevertheless, our
prayer is that, the Traffic Warden Service should be de-merged first and the
Nigeria Police compelled to vacate the road. The Traffic Warden Service has to attain her deserving independence
foremost before any other arrangement could follow, if the need arise. The Traffic Warden Service is 43 years
old by the year 2016, old enough to stand on her feet.
4. Your Excellency,
Traffic Wardens don’t handle arms, Traffic Wardens are not crime fighters
neither do Traffic Wardens have any other job they perform than the road
traffic control function. Crime
fighting or prevention of crime, internal security of lives and properties is
for Nigeria Police while the road
traffic control function belongs to the Traffic Warden Service. It is therefore reasonable to say that, the
Traffic Warden Service don’t deserve to continue to remain with and/or working
under the Nigeria Police, no matter whatever the Police are promising to do at
this time. It is all a deceit. They are two strange Bird fellows. There is
evidence of incompatibility. Such calls for the formal and inevitable
de-merge of the Traffic Warden Service from Nigeria Police, courtesy of the
passage of the Traffic Warden Service Bill (SB100) as an Act of the National
Assembly. We enclose the booklet of our views and reminder, for your perusal,
to press home the need to consider the passage of the Traffic Warden Service
Bill. We need Mr. President to give his fatherly advice to the National
Assembly on the Traffic Warden Service Bill.
Long Live the President and C-in-C of the Armed
Forces.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
JK. Johnsonapla Esq.
National
Coordinator,
Traffic Warden Service Project.
CC:
Sen. Ita Solomon Enang
Snr. Special to Mr. President on National
Assembly matters.
CC:
Ordinary Ahmed Isah
President, Brekete Family
Pls, Mr President c-in-c of Nigeria army, have mercy on tws God bless you sir, more strength to rule our Nation.
ReplyGod bless Nigeria.