Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Despicably in a manner similar to many Nigerians paid by the public purse and given a uniform to wear to discharge of their duties, errant staff of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) do not regard their uniform as a call to public service, but rather as license to trample citizens’ rights, and behave as they please! In fairness to the corps, they recognise the problem and have dismissed many employees for corruption, and other actions detrimental to the reputation of the FRSC.   

Back in 2015, Deputy Corps Marshal Charles Theophilus publicly warned staff against corrupt practices, claiming that “measures have been put in place to stop anything that has to do with corruption within the system”. Yet two years later in 2017, 25 staff were sacked for corrupt practices. The then Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, said a “massive self-cleansing exercise was in action to rid the corps of corrupt officials”.

Two years down the line in 2019, 62 staff comprising 14 officers and 48 marshals were dismissed after internal investigations, while separate investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) led to disciplinary action against 172 two others! Again in 2020, 18 officers were dismissed for misconduct, and 10 were “sanctioned for indiscipline” and demoted. The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Bisi Kazeem, said those affected had been involved in forgery, number plate and license racketeering, bribery and scandalous patrol misconduct.  Regrettably, this has become the public perception of FRSC staff priorities. The corps’ once stellar reputation has been rubbished to the extent that they are now widely regarded as a nuisance on the road, rather than as a beneficial public service.