WONDERS will never end in Nigeria. It is increasingly becoming difficult for Nigerians to know the reasons for which the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the Vehicle Inspection Department and the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) were established in the first instance. What are the specific official duties of these bodies'Are the official functions of these bodies not overlapping or being duplicated and are therefore conduit pipes through which scarce financial resources of government are being wasted' On many occasions, due to the duplication of the duties of these bodies, a lot of innocent Nigerians have been exploited and are still being exploited by these men and women in uniform.Instead of rending useful services to the public, these officials most of whom are arrogant, wicked, corrupt and uncaring, use the opportunity of the uniforms they wear to terrorise ordinary innocent citizens.They are unhelpful, uncaring, unfriendly and disrespectful. But they continue to get away with their wicked acts due to the respect members of the public have for their uniforms which are made available to them with tax payers' money. The most annoying and disturbing aspect of it is that when these officials were looking for job, they would go to any extent to convince their respective employers that as soon as they are employed, they would perform their duties diligently, honestly and satisfactorily.But as soon as they are employed and they put on their uniforms, they proceed immediately to terrorise innocent and unsuspecting members of the public at checkpoints and on the highways. It is as if the uniforms are licences to misbehave recklessly or even kill, maim and destroy. Perhaps this is why it is still important that recruits into these all-important uniform agencies must be made to undergo compulsory pyschiatric test to determine their suitability for the job.Corruption runs in the veins of many of these officials, including those in Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and Immigration officials.Now, back to the nagging issue of duplication of duties. Which body is constitutionally empowered to check vehicle particulars' Which one is responsible for arresting and prosecuting traffic offenders' Which one is expected to ensure security of lives and property' Which one is expected to go after armed robbers, kidnappers, militants, Boko Haramists and prostitutes, amongst others' Why are we having confusion over the issue of new plate numbers and new licences' How many times shall government be changing plate numbers and licences thereby forcibly making people to cough out a lot of money to purchase the plate numbers and liences'Is it the responsibility of FRSC to issue plate numbers and licences or state governments' Why is it that government and its agencies churn out new projects so speedily and at exorbitant rates even if it could lead to duplication of efforts without minding the possible adverse consequences on the welfare of the citizenry'I think this is probably why Nigerians are the happiest human beings in the world while Nigeria remains the most wonderful country around the globe!Fehintola Odejimi,Ekotedo, Ibadan, Oyo State.
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