(This article is published as part
of the SDAc's Social Change Information and Education Service)
"Find
out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have
the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be
imposed on them." - Frederick Douglass
Petrol Purchased Into Kegs Costs
The Same As That Put Into Your Car - Why Pay More?
Certain staff of some petrol stations
in Lagos now know me quite well - and it's not because I share
any special hobbies, or interests with them. Instead, it is
because I have repeatedly engaged them in intense debates
whenever I purchased petrol in a keg for my use, and they
tried to impose the widely practiced informal "tax"
on me. For instance, if you wanted to purchase N500 worth
of fuel, the attendant could dispense N450 worth of fuel into
your keg, and then inform you the remaining N50.00 was payment
for buying petrol into the keg!
This money NEVER goes into the purse
of the station, since the meter does not reflect it. In effect,
some petrol attendants are running a side business at the
expense of their employer and to the detriment of the customer
- you get less petrol than you pay for. What I did was every
time an attendant tried to do this to me, I asked him/her
where it was written that I had to pay EXTRA for buying petrol
into a keg for my personal use - especially since it was not
that I had the intention of going to resell the fuel at the
border!
The answer of course would be "nowhere"
or silence. But some plucky ones would say "That's
where we get our own payoff", sometimes giving
the very lame excuse that their employer did not pay regular
salaries! In response, I would ask him/her if it then made
sense to punish the customer for the employer's unwillingness
to pay salaries? If s/he remained stubborn, I would request
to see the manager, who - without exception - would quickly
ask the offending staff to do the right thing(a clear sign
that they all KNOW it is wrong!).
Note that
the manager is never unaware of what is going on -
only s/he does not take action to stop it. Having said that,
I have come across at least one fuel station whose management
has put up signs all around their premises, boldly stating
that fuel purchased - be it into cars or hand held containers
- sells for the SAME price. THAT's what I call taking
a stand and taking action to discourage bad habits or wayward
tendencies in people.
You Can Maintain Good Relations
With Police Officers Without "Settling" Them
Not all police officers are corrupt
or bad. THAT is a fact. BUT a good number out here appear
to struggle to stay honest and be good on a consistent basis.
Part of the problem is the conditions of service. Their pay,
we all know, is terribly poor and somewhat irregular. But
that is NO excuse for them to transfer the government's salary
bill to the citizens of the country!
No Nigerian living in Nigeria - NOT
ONE - can honestly claim s/he has not at least ONCE, seen
or had to interact with roadside policemen who asked to be
given money. Every day, on our roads, motorists and bike-riders
called "Okada", have to part with little amounts
of money to policemen who stop them. Many times, people get
stopped just for the officer to ask "Oga
anything for us?"("Boss, do you have a gift for
us?"). In my case, since money that tended to
be on me took a while to get there(business being very slow),
AND because I felt it was VERY wrong, I always had a big problem
giving up any money to anyone - especially the police - without
justification.
When asked, I would respond by honestly
declaring to the officer that I was on my way to market my
services for the possibility of securing new business. If
he persisted, I would tell him I really wished I could oblige(smiling
all the while), but that even the little I had on me was not
enough for me to meet my responsibilities. If that did not
work, I would plead, as "nicely" as possible, for
the officer to let me do what he asked another day, when I
would be passing through. Over time, some of these policemen
came to recognise me, to the point that as soon as they saw
me driving towards them, one or more would simply wave me
on saying "Go, go, go!" (in a manner suggesting
they had concluded they would not get anything off me). I
would in turn wave cheerfully to them, as I drove past, calling
out the names or ranks of those I could recall in greeting.
Bottom line is, unlike when I first
started out four years ago, where they more or less had their
way with me, I have over time developed a system for getting
along with them, even though they did not get what they wanted
from me. Of course to do this meant
I had to stay on the right side of the law too. What
I want to point out however, is that this strategy I have
just described, if applied by most other people that encounter
the "men in black", would with time make the "anything
for us" practice less profitable - and most likely result
in its eventual decline.
Sadly, too many people find it easier
to give money than to think up ways to solve a problem - especially
when they feel they have the money, or that they stand to
lose too much by refusing to give it. In my opinion, NOT subtly
or passively resisting these fraudulent advances from the
police on a daily basis is what makes them continue to transfer
the effects of their poor conditions of service to the citizenry.
By continuing to compromise themselves in this manner, the
police remain less effective in their role of protecting and
serving - with "integrity" - than they should be.
The Solution Is Not Fool Proof
- But It Works For Most Situations
The above is not a fool proof solution.
Many situations will not be easily addressed using this approach.
But one thing you can be sure about is that for as long as
you have nothing to hide, and you are polite in dealing with
those who do these things, you are very likely to be able
to reason with them well enough NOT to have to give them money.
Lastly,
I do not claim to be a saint, or the only one taking action
to correct the above mentioned problems. I have only
chosen to inform any interested persons, that there IS a way
they can say NO to bad practices and still be able to avoid
"trouble" with others.
Just In Case The Reader Is A Police
Officer - Or Friend/Relative To One
Since it is possible that some people
who read this article could be members of the police force,
or friends/relatives of police officers, I anticipate that
I might probably get some "not-too-friendly" attention
focussed on me for writing it. Just
so they know, I will say this: This is
nothing personal. I just have a problem with persons who feel
it is okay increasing the pain of OTHERS in order to reduce
the one they feel! Maybe our
police officer brothers/sisters could stop and ask themselves
sometimes, if the person they forcefully get money off, is
not him/herself experiencing serious financial pressures,
in a bid to meet family/other responsibilities! 
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