Highways are happy ways (VI)
Those of my generation who grew up in Lagos of the sixties are likely to retain memories, however faint of Fynecountry, an urban legend of those far-off days. He was
Those of my generation who grew up in Lagos of the sixties are likely to retain memories, however faint of Fynecountry, an urban legend of those far-off days. He was a legend who stood out in those days of legends and it is clear that we would never see their likes again if only because the institutions which produced them are either dead or conveniently forgotten.
Fynecountry belonged to the Traffic division of the Nigeria Police Force at a time when all traffic laws were enforced by the men and women of that Division. They were distinguished from all other police personnel by the unmistakable white band on their cap. They were out on the road, ostensibly to ensure that our highways were kept safe and open for the use of law-abiding citizens at a time when policemen were armed with nothing more lethal than a baton. Very basic equipment which was augmented with a whistle that they blew to summon some form of backup from their colleagues in case of an emergency. At that time, life was lived at an even tempo which made little demand on mental reserves and gave room for sober reflection and the enjoyment of life more abundant. It also created some room for the likes of Fynecountry to flourish and make a name for themselves.
Unlike now, there were many traffic laws which were ripe for contravention and there was no shortage of people who went against them. Some of the contraventions were out of ignorance which was of course not an excuse but most others were wilfully committed by people who had an axe to grind with society. It should be made clear at this point the laws which existed on the statute books have not been expunged but the lack of enforcement over the years has removed whatever bite they had. Now, it looks very much like they never existed. In those days they not only existed but they had a real and painful bite, just like the men and women whose duty it was to enforce them. With so many potential offenders, the men and women of the Traffic division had their hands full. This being the case, there were a large number of people who were willing to offer a bribe over a broad range of value to the arresting officers so that they could slip out of the otherwise iron grip of the law. Rumour had it that securing a posting to the Traffic division was so much sought after that hefty bribes were passed on to the relevant authorities who were in charge of posting personnel to such cynosure positions. In addition, those who had secured a spot in the Traffic division knew that the only way they could hold on to the position was to continue to make returns to the appropriate quarters. Under the circumstances, it was understood that the right hand was expected to wash the left and vice versa for life to be kept on an even keel.
Advertisement
300x250
Read Also: EFCC hands over 753 housing units seized from ex-CBN Gov to ministry
In spite of the culture of bribery associated with the traffic police, the many admirers of Fynecountry insisted that no stray penny wormed its way into their hero's pockets. It was their contention that he continued to do his job at such a visibly high level that removing him from the beat had become impossible. And so, there he was, come rain or shine, astride his powerful Police issue Triumph motorcycle as he chased down and arrested all errant motorists without fear or favour. At this point, it has to be conceded that the number of vehicles on the road at the time was nothing compared with what we have today and the pace at which life went on was almost pedestrian, so much that we may indeed be talking of another world entirely. But, accidents were still happening and consuming lives, not to talk of limbs at an unacceptable rate. In response to this, one of our military governments, it no longer matters which one, formed and deployed what they described as Traffic wardens who they dressed up in some ghastly yellow shirts which instantly earned them the tag, 'yellow fever'. If anything, they were a figure of fun as they were sent out onto the streets without any power of arrest and restricted to directing traffic. The thinking was that traffic policemen could be freed of that duty so that they could concentrate on enforcing traffic laws. Gone from the road were policemen with white sleeves attached to their uniform as they controlled the movement of traffic on the major roads and busy road junctions. This intervention like many others which were imposed on a supine and beaten down public was a failure. It only made the traffic situation worse as those wardens lacked any authority so much so that they begged for, rather than demanded bribes from a bemused public. I doubt that the yellow fever brigade has finally been officially disbanded. At least I have no information to that effect but it has been a long time since I saw one of them on the streets around where I live. But certainly, the Traffic division of the Nigeria Police has been consigned to the dusty files of history. All the policemen you see today on the roads, guns at the ready, are supposedly on security duty and have nothing to do with enforcing traffic laws. In addition, they have no clue as to how to control traffic as they have no training in this direction. Nowadays, it is not unlikely that what you see is some pedestrian taking up the role of the traffic Police when traffic gets knotted up so badly that there is no room for pedestrians to pass through. Yes, I know that the above statement is unbelievable and I would have dismissed it out of hand myself but for the fact that I was once caught up in the kind of jam discussed above. I was trying to get to the Third Mainland bridge through Bariga on that fateful evening when traffic came to a sudden halt and with no puff of wind to provide a modicum of comfort it took me a while to notice that there were no motorcyclists trying to find their way within the stationary vehicles on the road. There simply was no gap for them to squeeze through. I was shocked to my bones however when I turned noticed that pedestrians who were walking along the tight sidewalk were to all intents and purposes as stationary as the motionless vehicles which were simply blocking the road. The movement of vehicles along Nigerian roads is not about swinging along at fantastic speed but also about trying to simply move from one point to another. The two problems are however sometimes compounded together when some 'Nigerian accident' blocks the road completely so that no movement is possible. Now, in these days of paramilitary style road monitors such as LASTMA and the FRSC it is difficult to imagine that there was once a division within the Nigeria Police which had the charge of controlling traffic on our roads. That division was however despised to such an extent that it was slowly dissolved and now has no space in our collective consciousness or even memory. One thing is however certain, we are still searching frantically to find a way out of the ills which make a lottery of any attempt to travel safely along any Nigerian road.
