THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE ROAD SAFETY OPERATIVE
The Federal Road Safety Corps has in recent times been on the spotlight for negative reasons. However, I will begin this write-up by stating that Nigeria is a nation of laws that majority of its citizens, individual and corporate do not wish to obey. Most of our public institutions ranging from the NNPC down to the Electricity Distribution Companies have come under flaks by Nigerians for dismal performance and corrupt practices. In the light of this, nothing different should be expected from the FRSC. The law enforcement agencies that by their nature of work are more exposed to public scrutiny seem to be most corrupt only because Nigerians encounter them more often than other Government agencies in our ordinary daily routines.

Most Nigerians who are also tax-payers are suffering untold hardship given the economic downturn, systemic failure of governance at all levels with lack of basic utilities that are abundantly available even in other African countries. We are daily assailed with distressing news of billions of naira stolen from government coffers and the high-profile culprits let off the hook to the utter dismay of law-abiding citizens. It is the same Nigerians seething on the discontent of these realities and going about their daily routines that are flagged down on public roads and subjected to harassment and extortion by law-enforcement agents who themselves are victims of not just the economic realities of Nigeria but also by harsh work conditions in the guise of command-and-control structure of para-military work.
It is important for the public to understand the psychological make-up of the road safety operatives that they encounter on the roads so as to have an insight into the reasons some of them go about their duties in the manner they do.
For starters, the consolidated para-military salary scale on which the salaries of road safety officers are based is not being implemented to the letter. This scale provides for bulk payment of rent subsidy, furniture and leave allowances but they are being paid piecemeal. Transfer allowances have become obsolete and operatives are left to their own devices at new and unfamiliar territories. Aside discrepancies in salary payments even among officers of the same grade level, operatives are promoted and decorated without any change in salary for years. You are sometimes expected to even use the same salary to fund official work because allocations are not regular. God be on your side if you get mobbed or knocked down by a vehicle while on patrol duty. The blame officially goes to you and you are upbraided for lack of discretion and have to fend for yourself until you recover from your injuries.

Time and again operatives are asked to make monetary contributions for the “sending-forth” of out-going Commanding Officers who are transferred to new locations or for the wedding ceremonies of senior officers’ off-springs. Though such requests do not compel contributions but its nature is such that your boss makes you pay one way or the other in other to show loyalty to the corps or to demonstrate his command and control capabilities. Most worrisome is that patrol teams are now under tremendous pressure to meet daily targets of traffic offenders to be apprehended in spite of the economic realities of present-day Nigeria.

The recent case of a superior officer resorting to cutting off the long hairs of offending female operatives in spite of laid down regulations/procedure for punishing such defaulters is symptomatic of the high-handed nature of the Command and Control structure existing in the Corps.

The Road Safety operative on the road who refuses to listen to traffic offenders’ pleas for fair treatment among other issues is an embodiment of an individual with bottled up grievances for which official expression is impossible and therefore displaces aggression on the motoring public. In addition, the system has not provided the tool to enable access to a database of cautioned traffic violators to give room for series of cautioning and education of such offenders before resorting to booking. Patrol teams are left unprotected in a country plagued by terrorism, general apathy of its citizens and aggressive behavior of most traffic offenders. Even the drivers’ license which is an integral part of FRSC mandate are not been issued to the driving public in a timely manner. These factors and those fore-mentioned combined is a recipe for violent confrontations with FRSC operatives who are unfortunately very soft targets especially when offenders are forced to part with their hard-earned money either via fines payment or extortion.

The issue of alleged extortion by FRSC operatives is indeed a contentious one as Nigerians are good at criticizing from the “sidelines” as against taking positive action for change. Under the law the giver and taker of bribe are guilty of an offence. A motorist contravened on a traffic infraction should stand his ground and refuse to offer any bribe if it is demanded of him. Unfortunately, most Nigerian motorists avoid the inconveniences associated with the rigors of paying fines in the banks as required and would go ahead and accept to pay bribes only to turn around and allege extortion. Fighting extortion/bribery requires sacrifice for the common good of the country and corruption can be stopped right on its tracks by a demonstrated readiness for personal sacrifice. The fact that many public and private entities in Nigeria are under criticism for non-performance indicates that they are equally corrupt and extortionist. Hypocrisy is shear arrogance and a disease plaguing Nigeria. We are all guilty, one way or the other of the sorry state of affairs in Nigeria.

It’s time we took a hard look at ourselves in the mirror and appreciate that the conduct of public officials in high and low places is a reflection of who we are as Nigerians. The authorities concerned may find this article unpalatable but the truth has to be told, lessons learned and amends made.

Let the desired change begin with each and every one of us.
The writer, Mgbemena Ugochukwu is a Route Commander and Provost in the Federal Road Safety Corps, Eket.