By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) make a kill daily by causing chaos and extorting money from both private and commercial drivers in a state that prides itself on being the centre of excellence.
They have turned themselves into emperors and they terrorise drivers at the slightest error for the sole purpose of enriching themselves with bribe money.
Investigation by The Guardian (Nigeria) shows that some LASTMA official have private garages where they keep seized vehicles pending when their owners are ready to pay extortion fees not remitted to the state treasury.
A LASTMA spokesperson did not confirm or deny the allegations.
Lagosians are also groaning under the fee and the hassle of driver’s verification card, a double taxation because of its similarity to a federal driver’s licence which fee the state has increased above the rate recommended by the Joint Tax Board (JTB).
Complaint about the verification card fee being a double taxation led to its scrapping by former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. But it has been reintroduced by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The verification card is required of drivers employed by individuals and corporate bodies, and of drivers of commercial vehicles. By law, the card has to be renewed every year, each time at a fee.
Commercial bus drivers offset the cost by raising fares for commuters. That depletes the pockets of residents and reduces their purchasing power, compounded by rising food prices.
Excessive taxation reduces the purchasing power of consumers whose patronage of goods and services propels economic growth that boosts government treasury.
Original purpose of LASTMA
Former Governor Babatunde Fashola established LASTMA in 2000 to, among other responsibilities,
· Install and maintain traffic control devices on the highways
· Develop regulation, control, and management of traffic operations
· Develop management, control, and regulation of traffic related issues
Video evidence of extortion, protest by drivers
About four weeks ago, The Guardian recalls, commercial drivers protested harassment and extortion by LASTMA personnel, in demonstrations observed in phases across the state.
The protest grounded movement for days as marchers prevented commercial vehicles and motorcycles from carrying passengers.
The recent viral video of one LASTMA official forcing out bribe from a victim in Oshodi was an eye-opener on the rot in the agency.
The official inadvertently exposed their modus operandi and other strategies of extorting money from motorists as well as how non-Yoruba traffic offenders are exorbitantly charged and treated with disdain.
The video showed that he drove the victim to a Point of Sale (POS) outlet to deposit a N10,000 levy, saying if the vehicle were to be driven to LASTMA office, the victim would have had to pay as much as N150,000.
He indicted some officials at the top echelon of LASTMA in the racket, mentioning among other names, Agba, Mogaji, Ogbon, and Sawara.
He listed Maryland, Oshodi, and Ikeja as the hotbeds of LASTMA officials’ extortion brutality, saying: “We must meet daily target [to our supervisors], because if you fail to do so, you must be ready to remit N50,000 per day.”
Hotbeds of extortion
True to his disclosures, LASTMA officials are thorns in the flesh of motorists along Opebi, Allen, Alausa, and Agindingbi, all the way to Ikeja.
This is corroborated by an undercover investigation The Guardian conducted in the axis of ‘Ikeja Along’ where LASTMA officials are notorious for extorting money from commercial drivers.
At least 10 of them are always on duty in the axis. Seven or more dress in uniform to control traffic, others dress in mufti to collect money from commercial drivers.
The Guardian observed that in one day all the buses that dropped passengers off at Ikeja Along parted with N1,000 each. Because the officials collecting the money did not wear uniform they were mistaken for members of the transport union.
A few metres away from the bus stop – inside Conoil filling station – another set of LASTMA officials dressed in mufti, at least two, are stationed at the exit.
They demand money for food or drink, which commercial drivers have no choice but to oblige with at least N200 or else they are marked for sanction.
A commercial bus driver, who gave his name as Kazeem, told The Guardian that bribing the officials is necessity for commercial drivers in the axis, so the officials would look the other way when drivers violate traffic rules.
“The kind of daily contribution the officials are collecting here is huge. The majority of us driving from morning till night cannot [make] such a huge amount,” he said.
“Most of them have at least two to three yellow buses (Danfo). Is it their salaries they are using for that?”
Experience of Ukaegbu, a driver who visited Lagos
The experience is slightly different in Oshodi. LASTMA officials in Ikeja extort money mainly from commercial drivers, but those in Oshodi feast on both commercial and private drivers.
Chibuzor Ukaegbu (not his real name) who visited Lagos a few months ago narrated a tale of woe in his encounter with LASTMA officials in Oshodi.
“I parked my car, waiting for a friend before returning to Imo State. I was accosted by some of the officers. My plea for leniency and understanding fell on deaf ears. They eventually succeeded in taking N30,000 from me,” he recounted.
Despite the screaming of the kids in the car, it was towed away with the occupants before Ukaegbu’s arrival.
Causing traffic chaos to fleece motorists
The story is similar in Agege, Maryland, Iyana-Ipaja, Ikorodu, Mushin, and other parts of the state where LASTMA officials engage in extortion and cause gridlocks and accidents on the roads.
Road users alarmed at the return of traffic jams on the routes accuse LASTMA personnel of failing to do their job and instead fleecing motorists.
LASTMA spokesperson Olumide Filade did not deny or confirm the allegations. “We are going to come out with a press release, very, very soon,” he said in a telephone interview.