Nigeria is a country of contradictions. The system delights in robbing Peter to pay Paul. Here, a large number of people pay for services that are not provided, and most of the time, do so under duress. At the same time, the system allows the minority to enjoy the services they do not pay for.

Take the Power Holding Company of Nigeria for example. While Nigerians pay outrageous bills for services that are not provided, senior officials of the company enjoy free and stable supply of electricity.
Though the telecommunications sector is largely private- sector driven, the same scenario exists there. When as an ordinary Nigerian, you pay for calls that never go through, you pay for SMS that are never delivered due to poor network, or subscribe for a monthly service that you do not enjoy for two weeks, some people, especially members of staff of these companies and their friends, make free calls . It’s like the majority paying to maintain good service delivery for the minority. Expectedly, nobody apologises for rendering poor services and when they do, nobody compensates or refunds your money.

Here government is not obliged to provide social services. But the citizens are expected to pay their taxes. It is not unusual to have classrooms without chairs in some towns and in others chairs without tables for pupils or classrooms without roofs, etc.

If you are driving in a new environment, don’t be surprised if you are arrested for breaking traffic rules even when there are no sign posts to indicate that a particular road is a one way. Unlike the devil that walks about like a roaring lion looking for who to devour, here, government officials hide in corners to see who will fall into their traps. A government that cannot afford to erect sign posts to guide drivers aright does not see anything wrong in arresting so-called traffic offenders.

These are some of the reasons why government is not ashamed to ask people to pay for certificates of road worthiness for their cars when most of the roads in the country are not worthy.

A few weeks ago, I was driving along the Lagos /Abeokuta Expressway [one of the worstroads in the country]. As bad as this road is, some people that claimed to be officials of theFederal Ministry of Transportation saw nothingwrong in arresting people for not having their cars’ certificates of road worthiness.

I was also stopped by these men and I gave them my car’s certificate. To my surprise, I was told the certificate was obtained from Lagos State government and because of that, I needed another one from the Federal Government. Of course, I got the national road-worthiness certificate. And I also paid a fine of N2, 500 for not having it on me as at the time I was stopped. In all, I paid N5, 000 for my worthy car to be driven on government’s unworthy road.

The process of paying the money was tortuous. The road leading to the MOT office was something else. If cars could speak, I’m sure my car would have complained and protested the ordeal it was made to go through.

As at today, there is hardly any major highwayin the country that does not require one form of repair or the other. Just a few days ago, mypastor publicly announced on the pulpit that the church spends millions of naira every year to maintain government roads. And the worst part of it, according to him, is that you have toapply to government for permission to help it in doing its job.

Can someone just tell government to have mercy on our road-worthy cars and do major rehabilitation of its roads? I think we need more car-worthy roads than we have now. Our worthy cars surely deserve something better.

Nice writeup.

May God help us in this country. Happy new month NLers! may we live to witness more on earth.

I don't even know what this current government administration is doing pertaining infrastructural development. Where is subsidy removal dividends?

Oko_AGB: Nice writeup.

Kon5m write up

Nigeria and its problems,it is well

You're Welcome To The Payment Club...

Remembered The day an okada man hit my front plate and the plate number fell off. Few Meters ahead, while on my way to fix it i met the police n right in the middle of the busy Oyo-Ibadan Old Road (Death Trap); 5 of them were pointing their guns at me n asking me to stop with a rickety, Petrol carrying lorry coming right behind me.

Mehn i left o... N stopped only few meters more in a safe place. With speed of around 180km/hr the drove n hit the car from the back. I got out and screamed. Next was charging 50k for Evading police, 15k for almost assualting and to make matters worse, 25k for having the tint on the car.

Inshort thankful for a few Oga's at the top dem collect 5k o!

MORAL OF STORY: Op, daily charges are. Not new to an average Nigerian driver. The decadence of the Nigerian System is as its worst and the semi-illitrate neophytes we have on our unworthy roads seem to careless about sign posts nor the essence of proper info dessemination. Live Everyday as it Comes.

God Bless Us All!

Words elude me

Wellcome to Nigeria, where anything goes!!! As for me, we don't have Government; they are bunch of theifs...

And the situation will continue as we are overwhelmingly focused on:

- Me
- I and
- Myself

to the detriment of our community/society.
Everybody wan do I-better-pass-my-neighbour without wondering how the neighbourhood is generally.
We seem to forget that we are always placed in the context of our background.
Hence my people say that:

Olowo kan larin otoshi mefa, otoshi na ni gbogbo won- One rich man among six paupers, they are all seven of them paupers.

The whites and other developed societies obviously understand this hence they devise POLICIES to ensure no one is left behind in the provision of BASIC things for modern life including free and COMPULSORY education for ALL children.
How many of us will buy a very green efo shorkoryorkortor (amaranthus vegetable) once you know it was grown on a REFUSE dump

Only God will save us in this country. Abia state case is the worst,it's just like the government of the state is on a mission to kill the state and the people living there.

The irony of Life....#end time tinz sha!

It is obvious Govt is not ready to proffer solutions to myriads of problems facing her citizens. The ones that even want to help her are subjected to some administrative bottlenecks. Now, what is the way forward?

The ember months are here and many will travel for christmas and new year on these terrible roads.

Nigeria; only place where abnormal Tins r now seen as normal. nothing surprises me anymore.
Nice write up.

And by d way; End time tinz (lol)

swhiss: The irony of Life....#end time tinz sha!

u're just a phuckin Nitwit.

A country where abnormality looks normal.

Wow! This is a mind blowing write up. If only the govt would listen. At least the officers should be
trained, instructed not to even harass people. I saw a pregnant woman kneeling down for lasma the other day and the guy wasn't even bothered.


I think the system needs overhauling; police, army, frsc, VIO, lasma(full of animals). They should go for proper training to know how to handle tax payers. We pay their salaries!

Wizee: Wellcome to Nigeria, where anything goes!!! As for me, we don't have Government; they are bunch of theifs...

Do you mean including the ones right under our noses, i.e. the LGAs
They have RESPONSIBILITY for

- constructing certain feeder roads, especially the ones right in front of people' houses.
- building and matinging the drains (gutters) by employing and paying good wages to the workers with adequate supervision

thus creating employment as is done in those countries where we run to as voluntary socio-economic EXILES even though we are hardly welcome and mostly under-employed vis-a-vis our white counterparts.
And usually these thieves are people we know and even seek their favour so we can have our own turn at the till to also share in the national cake aka Niger Delta oil revenue.
Or do you think roads are the sole responsibility of the federal government

MEGA-WATCH:
Only God will save us in this country. Abia state case is the worst,it's just like the government of the state is on a mission to kill the state and the people living there.

Can you share with us how God is actually going to save us in this country
Any template?
Maybe based on the experience of some other conutry where you know God saved them!

It is shameful really. For instance, someone comes screaming and crying, all battered and wounded from d fists and objects handled by anoda human being(domestic violence), to the Police Station. All the police can say is, "it is a family matter, go and make peace with your husband". Yet these police officers are paid with public funds.
Next, my colleague on her way to work sees a man jacking off in public, on a road used by children in Primary and Secondary Schools, she draws the attention of the police at the police station and the officer says, "Wetin I go do na? I no fit comot here, na only me dey and na night duty I do so I dey wait for my colleagues for morning shift." No formal report,no attempt to arrest and spare the public from such public display of indecency. Yet they are paid by public funds, not excluding those forcefully taken from road users. Naija I hail.

Where is subsidy removal dividends?
Its in their Pocket !

wrench:
u're just a phuckin Nitwit.

A country where abnormality looks normal.

u retard!
I'm so dispirited to know that u cant identify sme of the end time signs

The topic got me laughing

Leke Leke Give me white Finger ***** Ails

This issue has been worrisome for a long time now

I'm glad Nigerians are now speaking up

DankemzI: Leke Leke Give me white Finger ***** Ails

relax jhor
We aren't through with end time things yet
leke leke Will trend from October as we agreed in our meeting last night



@topic
The best road I've ever been on is one from port harcourt to akwa ibom
as in eh
Let's just be hopeful
lots of federal roads have been marked for repairs and reconstruction
I think the state roads are the most ignored

Well taken points,couldnt have said it better.
With our president and his vice being University graduates who are well informed one would have thought that they will understand the needs of the masses and attend to them accordingly but the reverse has been the case.
People complains about IBB's govt. but his tenure is no doubt the best since 1985 because Nigeria crude production and revenue was far less compare to what we have today,yet everyone was comfortable with poverty at its bearest minimum,people never bothered travelling abroad. The roads were well maintained,transport fares were low and affordable to everyone,the naira was strong against the dollar and the economy was stable.
Food were still very much affordable before '93 and there was no China or Aba made clothes or shoes in the market yet they were affordable.
Abacha's regime was also fairly good as naira was shuttling between 70 - 80 against the dollar,things were also fairly affordable.
Things took a nose dive with Abdulsalam and OBJ, but OBJ to me did far better than GEJ has done so far,Jonathan's administration is the worst of them all so far.
People might say ok IBB looted our wealth but who among them didnt,his total loot was estimated at N3tr which is far below what Ibori looted as a governor and I am sure GEJ has even supassed the N3tr mark in 4yrs.

Most annoying is how efficient these road trolls called NPF, FRSC et'al could be in metting out punishment(fining) its perceived offenders but when it comes to assisting them they could be as sluggish as a chameleon. One certain time I lost my wallet and with it my original driving licence I new what it took me and how my job suffered in the office cos I was in police station almost on a daily basis just to obtain police report after am done getting and affidafit from the court. FRSC own is a story for another day cos I nearly received a querry just cos I want to renew my driving licence of which I havnt gotten the original(d plastic one) as we speak after giving me a laminated temporary one almost four months after applying and toturing.

The Mods are breaking my heart.
www.nairaland.com/1309521/driving-road-worthy-cars-nigeria-unworthy


blogs.punchng.com/franktalk/2013/05/30/driving-road-worthy-cars-on-nigerias-unworthy-roads/

anonimi:

Can you share with us how God is actually going to save us in this country
Any template?
Maybe based on the experience of some other conutry where you know God saved them!

Very funny but tru. God is definitely not gonna come down n do what man (Nigerians) can and should do for ourselves. We always keep saying 'only God will save Nigeria'. For how long abeg?

kenny987: It is shameful really. For instance, someone comes screaming and crying, all battered and wounded from d fists and objects handled by anoda human being(domestic violence), to the Police Station. All the police can say is, "it is a family matter, go and make peace with your husband". Yet these police officers are paid with public funds.
Next, my colleague on her way to work sees a man jacking off in public, on a road used by children in Primary and Secondary Schools, she draws the attention of the police at the police station and the officer says, "Wetin I go do na? I no fit comot here, na only me dey and na night duty I do so I dey wait for my colleagues for morning shift." No formal report,no attempt to arrest and spare the public from such public display of indecency. Yet they are paid by public funds, not excluding those forcefully taken from road users. Naija I hail.

I can tell you that is even small, on the 17th of December 2004 I was robbed in Egbeda while driving in. I was thoroughly rough handled by the robbers and with blood stains all over me I headed to that police station by Mosalasi bus stop to make a report because the robbers made away with some personal effects like my ATM card and checkbook,on getting to the station the officer at the front desk asked me to ''mobilise'' him before he'll write anything in the police extract register. His request for inducement triggered a fuse in my head and I pole vaulted over the counter and got into an altercation with him come see wahala as I started to accuse him of being one of the robbers that attacked me. It took the intervention of the young and learned DCO that day for the issue to die down as my report was taken and I made sure I was given a photocopy that night. You see it's bad enough if the police can't protect me from the robbers but asking for money before putting a crime report down in your register when obviously I 've just been robbed and wounded is way out of line. That was the day I gave up on our institutions in this country.