I boarded a bus this morning on my way to work, as the bus conductor was going around collecting the bus fares, I heard the guy(bus conductor) apparently shouting at a passenger who obviously was forming "staff". For those who don't stay in Lagos or Nigeria, "staff" are usually members of the nigerian police force or the Nigerian army who by virtue of their service to Nigeria are exempted from paying bus fares.

Back to my gist, according to the conductor, he asked the lady for her bus fare and that next thing he saw was that the lady brought out a pair of handcuufs claiming she was a staff. I think she must have been a staff of the prison service, going by her uniform. This obviously didn't go down well with the conductor who told her "wetin be my bizness say u be staff? Abeg! Pay me my money! Abi na staff I take dey buy fuel? U con dey comot handcuff! U wan arrest prisoner abi if u see thief u fit arrest am? Etc.

Though the lady later got off the bus without paying, I begin to wonder why the police who can't even protect the lives of its citizen would be exepted from paying bus fares while we the law abiding citizens pay? And then also, considering the cost of buying fuel and settling of agberos and lastma, how much are those drivers left with?

Is this right or wrong? What do you think?

That's very funny ... Staff

There's something similar here too but most times you just give them ( most times marines & cops) percentage off not free.

@jidegirl, giving them discounts is a good idea but to go without paying @ all is robbery.

Inside that bus he/she is not any different from a normal citizen so he/she should pay what others pay.


Imagine a cab carrying all staffs(as they are called),how will the driver fend foor himself.


If they dont want to pay fares,they should get the federal goverment to get them a staff bus.

Nonsense

It is wrong.

sienna116: @jidegirl, giving them discounts is a good idea but to go without paying @ all is robbery.

Soon, fake policemen would be inside buses demanding for discounts and freebies. That's not the way to go please.

Ndipe:

Soon, fake policemen would be inside buses demanding for discounts and freebies. That's not the way to go please.

No such thing as fake policeman.... they can only purchase their uniforms from specific places with I.D..... I can't speak for Naija o!

jidegirl12:

No such thing as fake policeman.... they can only purchase their uniforms from specific places with I.D..... I can't speak for Naija o!

We are talking about Naija.

If i may ask, staff of where? or which company? Of road transporters?.........so many things are wrong in this country and they have to be addressed as soon as possible. These pple who are claiming to be staff are not even beneficial to these transporters, instead, they make things complex for them by unnecessarily extorting money from them for no good reasons. Oh God of mercy, have mercy on me....
Staff indeed!

greatgod2012: If i may ask, staff of where? or which company? Of road transporters?.........so many things are wrong in this country and they have to be addressed as soon as possible. These pple who are claiming to be staff are not even beneficial to these transporters, instead, they make things complex for them by unnecessarily extorting money from them for no good reasons. Oh God of mercy, have mercy on me....
Staff indeed!

Some of these Nigerian policement, after extorting money from passengers through illegal tollbooth, they now want to be exempted from paying taxi fare. Talk of freebies.

It is because of things like this that make me love this country more....if i am coming back again, i will still opt to be a Nigerian!

Wrong. They are a set of nuisance to m. 40 or 45 th to comment

This "staff" idea came about during the Civil war. Back then it was a rule by the government that commercial vehicles provide free transport service to serving forces on display of their I'd cards, but trust Naijas and awuf, they still claim that till date.

Why should anybody in uniform whether para or otherwise claim staff in a public bus, did he contribute in buying the bus or are they not paid salary?

well its common in lagos.i dont know of other states but i think why the conductor was yelling was because the staff is a female.most female staff are not that lucky to get free ride.

Those who say it's wrong are silly. All over the world service men are given discount and exemption on travel and other products

I claimed staff one day and it paid me. If the conductor know say I be ordinary civilian yawa for gas for me dat day.

i think an army general should pay also

I equally claim staff at times. Once I have my beard shaves and with my rugged face, I claim so.

In a civilized country only the police and sometimes the army while "on duty" can board public transport without paying fares, it does include emergency services but I don't see why a paramedic or fireman would board a bus to a burning house.
Army staff would rarely board public transport while on duty.

Y would an army general b ina public bus? Dem use him destiny play tennis?

its nothing new, you even see driver/conductor calling them to sit in the front in order to escape lastma, but you have to be in uniform

I hate dat word STAFF wen inside public bus anyway sha dy no fit try am wit BRT

shadrach77: Those who say it's wrong are silly. All over the world service men are given discount and exemption on travel and other products

where is Abednego?

When I was much younger, my mum and I entered public bus and the force men claimed "staff", so didn't pay.
I turned to my mum, and I was like, "why do you have to pay? After all, you too are a staff" (my mum was a civil servant and following her to work I was always hearing that word staff cos it is common parlance in the work place)
So if you ask me, everybody na staff, either public sector or private firm. Once u have employment/staff number, u don turn "staff"..

this rubbish happens in Lagos and it pains me, here in Abuja if you like be a general you must pay your fare. the truth is that every public servant works for the populace. what is happening in Lagos has nothing to do with their service but pure coarsion which the authorities must stop. this is mainly be cause of our military rule mentality

There's nothing wrong wit a staff not paying for transport as long as he\she is putting on uniform & its one staff per bus.any other scenario is not aceptable.yes,I support uniformed personnel not to pay bus fares

Nnamdini: There's nothing wrong wit a staff not paying for transport as long as he\she is putting on uniform & its one staff per bus.any other scenario is not aceptable.yes,I support uniformed personnel not to pay bus fares

Right on point. they should be allowed if and only if they are on uniform and one staff @ a time. Joke i saw in a newspaper cartoon(a boko man was claiming staff)

Nnamdini: There's nothing wrong wit a staff not paying for transport as long as he\she is putting on uniform & its one staff per bus.any other scenario is not aceptable.yes,I support uniformed personnel not to pay bus fares

dont they collect transportation allowance?

KwoiZabo:
Right on point. they should be allowed if and only if they are on uniform and one staff @ a time. Joke i saw in a newspaper cartoon(a boko man was claiming staff)

Its a private bizness...if u board u pay, shikena!
abi dem dey take staff buy fuel or service vehicle? Dont they get salaries?
All that staff thing na lagos nonsense.

Nnamdini: There's nothing wrong wit a staff not paying for transport as long as he\she is putting on uniform & its one staff per bus.any other scenario is not aceptable.yes,I support uniformed personnel not to pay bus fares

most likely you are one of them. whether in uniform or not they are to pay fo services rendered to them, afterall this so called staff collect salary more than their mates in civil service ,despite being mostly drop outs.

sienna116: I boarded a bus this morning on my way to work, as the bus conductor was going around collecting the bus fares, I heard the guy(bus conductor) apparently shouting at a passenger who obviously was forming "staff". For those who don't stay in Lagos or Nigeria, "staff" are usually members of the nigerian police force or the Nigerian army who by virtue of their service to Nigeria are exempted from paying bus fares.

Back to my gist, according to the conductor, he asked the lady for her bus fare and that next thing he saw was that the lady brought out a pair of handcuufs claiming she was a staff. I think she must have been a staff of the prison service, going by her uniform. This obviously didn't go down well with the conductor who told her "wetin be my bizness say u be staff? Abeg! Pay me my money! Abi na staff I take dey buy fuel? U con dey comot handcuff! U wan arrest prisoner abi if u see thief u fit arrest am? Etc.

Though the lady later got off the bus without paying, I begin to wonder why the police who can't even protect the lives of its citizen would be exepted from paying bus fares while we the law abiding citizens pay? And then also, considering the cost of buying fuel and settling of agberos and lastma, how much are those drivers left with?

Is this right or wrong? What do you think?

just last week thursday i was at the shepherds bush underground train station when a plainclothes male police officer flashed his warrant(police identity) and the station staff immediately opened the barrier for him and he passed through so this happens all over its not strange to only nigeria