Passengers in awe as lady restrains driver from bribing road safety officers

By Chioma Abigail Mbah

On a bus from Enugu to Anambra on Friday 10th March, 2023. A lady instructed the driver not to pay any dime to road safety Officers in any checkpoint.

When she made the statement, everybody looked at her and were wondering the audacity the lady had. She was just dressed casually and no one knows what was up her sleeves. The passengers were all seated on the moving bus in anticipation of what would transpire between the driver and the road safety Officers if he should adhere to the lady’s instruction.

Meanwhile, the lady after issuing the instruction, didn’t make any further explanation on the reason she gave the instruction. Instead she focused on her mobile phone and became busy. This action of hers made the passengers sit with one buttock in anxious of what would unfold later as the journey continued.

On getting to the first checkpoint, the driver tried paying the tout sent by the road safety Officers to collect money from drivers, but the lady halted him. She told the young man to call his boss which he refused asking for what reason. Looking further, the lady saw where the officers were seated and told the driver to pull over as she alighted and approached the Officers. After few seconds, she came back and told the driver to continue the journey. Everyone was just looking at her in awe and were marvelled wondering what might have transpired between her and the officers.

It was later unraveled who she was when we got to the second checkpoint. The driver was stopped, she looked through the window and greeted the officer on duty. The officer surprised by her boldness and aura, asked in a stern voice” who are you?” She replied ” I am a senior officer working with air force”, thereby bringing out her ID card. Immediately, the officer greeted her with due respect and then told the driver to move.

Chattering and murmuring filled the bus until an elderly man broke the ice by greeting her and then asked if it is against the rule for road safety Officers to collect money from drivers and she concurred. Everyone was so happy and praised her for her braveness in saving the driver from making unnecessary expenses.

At this juncture, she shared stories of how she had saved so many drivers from such expenses, giving the reason for her action ” Due to this unnecessary expenses being made by drivers on each trip, it has made them to increase the cost of transportation which is to the detriment of the masses”. So she vowed to continue doing so with the help of some others, to curb these acts of the road safety Officers.

…….Chioma Abigail Mbah is a true life advocate of youth inclusiveness, good Governance and true representation, moral activist as well as social and Environment friendly analyst from Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. She can be reached on mobile number 09042974900