Nigerians, Deceitfully Conscious Law Breakers

Nigerians are one of the most unique persons on the surface of the earth. Haven been toughened by various unpleasant past and present events that ordinarily would have put the unity of county in jeopardy, Nigerians have proven to be resilient in all aspect of life

, such that it produces newer adaptive and survival instincts over spontaneous vicissitudes,  hence the suffering and smiling cliché really fits.

However, a very annoying verity about Nigerians is the fact that, we are perpetual law breakers and without remorse! Before you crucify me, let me elucidate clearly, reasons for my assertion, but first I will try in the most simplified comportment as much as possible, to let us understand what the term law means. It is those Instructions that are meant to safe guard us, morally and physically; prevent rancor and acrimony that rowdiness and disorderliness may cause.

I have made up my mind not to be enticed by anger into writing a very lengthy narrative, adhering strictly to making my points and asking salient fundamental questions bothering within the ambit of the subject matter, the extrapolation from the several responses would form the basis for a wider and all encompassing discus. As funny as these scenarios I would be mentioning would be, please do not laugh, na very serious matter them be.

Lokoja would be my case study on which I would build my piece. However, these problems are prevalent in most urban centers around Nigeria.

For the love of God, why would a sane human being, who knows there are no spare part stores for human parts, flagrantly disobey red traffic light , with a cocky grin on his face, like a hunter whose trap just caught a game after three month of game drought biko nor?

The red light simply means STOP but alas, Lokoja road users, most especially the Okada riders and a handful of private car owners’ disregard traffic light with reckless abandon, blow past other patiently waiting on the zebra lines. While I am yet to see any being arrested and penalized as a deterrent to others unscrupulous ones who has utter disregard for their lives and that of others, this nauseating act if unchecked, while leave in it trails tears and blood some time soon.

Well I am in the least surprised. Some of the riders are locals from surrounding rural centers, Lokoja is the biggest metropolitan they may have ever lived in and so may not know the import or meaning of the different lights. Some may even think Christmas is well around the corner, hence the Government has decided to decorate the streets with Christmas lights.

If 90% of these Okada riders are illiterates (a handful of them are graduates anyway, what else would they have done when jobs are not available) what about the government officials and most painful of all, security operatives? When they get to the traffic lights, the siren on their vehicles wailings crescendo increases wailing and wailing  wow wow wow wow wow, causing public nuisance and then eventually breaking the law, maneuvering and meandering their ways out dangerously while almost knocking down others . Ogini? Are they above the law? Who arrests the Okada man or car owner who flaunts these signs, when our police, civil defense publicly misbehaves?

In the United States of America, you cannot flout traffic rules and not get booked. You over speed or park your vehicle wrongly, you get booked and a ticket issued, you know what that means. That brings to mind, the manner of parking’s along major roads of Lokoja. There was a time the VIO’s impound people’s cars. What has happened? They are no longer impounding such crazy parking’s any more? Have they impounded the vehicle of a “touch not’? Why did they stop? Their morale was very high and the exercise was very effective, people no longer park their vehicles anyhow, but now the old demon has resurfaced and the deliverance pastors and imam in person of the VIO officers have all disappeared from the roads. WHY?

Let me revert back to flouting traffic rules in Lokoja, I recommend that the state government collaborates with the civil Federal Road Safety Corp, be positioned at every junction with traffic light to prosecute LIGHT/SIGN VIOLATION which is a category 2 offence under the FRSC Offence and Penalty law with a fine of 2,000, this will go a long way to prevent very serious accidents on our roads and increase the sanity of the people.