Hillary Clinton Fined By a Warden?

The former US secretary of state was in town (London) to receive a prize from the Chatham House think tank last week for her work in promoting “a new era of US diplomatic engagement; notwithstanding her status her vehicle with an £80 (95-euro, $130) parking fine.

The simple reason is that her entourage failed to buy the £3.30 ticket required to park the Mercedes for an hour on the exclusive St James’ Square in central London.

I want to bring this discussion back home here in Nigeria. Woo unto that traffic warden that dares correct any political office holder breaking traffic laws. Such a one might lose his job after he might have received a glorious call from the DIG, AIG or the Commissioner of Police. I have witnessed sometime ago
when a Political holder's wife slapped a policeman after breaking traffic rules for ever having the effrontery to confront her. She promised the man some more slap if he dares raise an eyebrow.Why? She is the Madam at the top. This is the country we find ourselves where laws are made for the very poor.

Here is a woman who was just months before now the topmost diplomat in the World. I presume our traffic warden would have even given her a salute for breaking our laws where it to have occurred in Nigeria.

Laws are made for all  to obey in the civilized world. Apparently, in Nigeria laws are made to continually curb the poor. There is the conscious desire by the elite to widen the gap between the poor and the rich. Policies are formulated not to better the lives of the common man but to suit the businesses of the rich. God save the poor.

Another issue I want to address is the fine apportioned to breaking of traffic laws in Nigeria especially in some Western Staes in Nigeria. We could see from reuters that all she was fined was just a pastry sum of £80, that is less than #20,000. In some western states in Nigeria, particularly LAGOS and IBADAN; pray to your GOD, LASTMA or YES-O in Lagos and Ibadan respectively do not impound your vehicle in non-designated parking spots which exist only in their imaginations.

They make laws without providing alternatives. Where are the exclusives parking spots constructed by the Government? Instead of addressing these issues, in the name of Internally Generated Revenue they harass innocent citizens who no fault of theirs, the towns are congested, lacking basic social amenities. In the process exorbitant levies well above £200 is charged. Not even in the developed world such fees are charged more-or-less a less developed societies such as ours.

I wish to call on the attention of the Government in these states that there is the need for training of these traffic officials to be civil in discharging their duties.
 Henceforth, what is good for the goose is just as good for the gander; there should be no selective treatment of the citizenry. Parking spots where meagre fees can be charged should be constructed in strategic locations. These can come on board with Public Private Partnership. Levies should be reviewed to capture the realities of the third world and the government should embark on re-orientation campaigns to sensitize the public on adhering to traffic rules and regulations.

OGHAGHARE ESE FREEMAN
@eseblogger
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