3rd June, 2014
By Tayo Ogunbiyi
One beautiful aspect of the federal system of government is that it enables each tier of government to develop at its own pace while at the same time giving room for collaborative efforts among them. In Nigeria, for instance, while it is true that the Federal, State and Local Governments fashion distinct developmental agenda for their respective jurisdictions, it is, nevertheless, not unusual to see joint efforts by the three tiers to tackle issues of similar interests. However, for political expediency, it is not strange, at times, to see one of the three tiers of government deliberately working against the interest of the others. Often, as a result of the enormous resources, power and structures at its disposal, the Federal Government usually tries to intimidate the other tiers of government. This tendency, because it is often clothed in rough-edged garment, sometimes results in avoidable disputes, and if not well managed, snowballs into chaos.
With the recent clash between members of a federal government special task force and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, it appears we are returning to what happened in the past when Federal Government and Lagos relations got to an all time low as agents of the Federal Road Management Agency, FERMA, were given a free rein to cause commotion on Lagos roads by attacking and brutalizing officials of LASTMA and Lagos Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, for allegedly operating on federal roads.
Recently, traffic operatives under the auspices of Federal Roads Committee on Surveillance and Action Against Roadside Trading and other Forms of Road Abuse (FERSCAR) clashed with officials of the Lagos State Management Authority (LASTMA), resulting in avoidable pandemonium. Dressed in grey and black uniforms, the federal operatives have, in recent times, been seen controlling traffic at certain locations in the state. According to eye witness accounts, the activities of these federal operatives on some of these locations led to prolonged traffic jams. The main reason being their (the federal operatives) insistence that LASTMA officials vacate those locations for them. Naturally, some LASTMA officials challenged the federal operatives, insisting they have statutory responsibilities over traffic management in the state. It eventually took the intervention of security operatives from the Lagos State Police Command to restore sanity on the roads after hours of chaos.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, recently made a disclosure on the existence of the federal operatives at diverse places in the state. Speaking further on the issue, the Governor revealed that he had called the attention of the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen to the situation. Initially, when Lagosians began to raise alarm about the training and activities of these operatives along the Seven-Up end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the aggregate of opinion then was that they were agents of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA. This made Lagos residents to become apprehensive bearing in mind what transpired between members of FERMA taskforce and LASTMA officials while Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe was the Minister of Works. However, officials of FERMA have dissociated themselves from the said group.
Just as Lagos residents were beginning to see the group as a faceless organisation, it has been established that the 5000 operatives were members of the federal government Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme SURE-P deployed to Lagos roads for traffic control. The Coordinator of the Task Force, Mr. Abdurazak Rafiu, while defending the activities of his men claimed that the taskforce was not illegal and that its operatives are not thugs as being insinuated.
Having unravelled the mystery surrounding the identity of the special task force operatives, certain issues need to be put into proper perspectives. First, the avoidable fracas between LASTMA officials and agents of the federal taskforce is a reflection of the threadbare way crucial issues are handled in the country. Ordinarily, officials of the federal taskforce ought to have carried officers of the Lagos State government along, before now, on their intention to work on Lagos roads. In this way, necessary modalities would have been painstakingly worked out. In a true federal state, this is the proper way sensitive issues like this are handled.
Second, the nation has been through so much, in terms of instability, in recent time, that it will be imprudent for us to toe paths that could lead to further confusion. One striking thing about Lagos, for some time now, is its relative peace and calmness. Compared to other parts of the country where palpable fear reigns supreme, Lagos residents currently enjoy an atmosphere of peace. This is quite crucial when views from the point of being a micro Nigeria where almost every tribe or ethnic group is represented.
Third, considering its confrontational stance against LASTMA, it is difficult to believe that the real intention of the FG in setting up the task force is to help manage traffic in the state. Its combative posture towards LASTMA, which has been managing traffic successfully on Lagos roads for long, gives it away, as it is being alleged in some quarters, as a politically motivated body put in place to destabilise the state.
Being the economic nerve centre of the country, the window through the world views Nigeria and a cultural melting port, tampering with the peace of Lagos could be likened to an ill wind that would blow no one any good. Consequently, the Federal Government has to be committed to positive collaboration with Lagos, because a peaceful and prosperous Lagos would certainly enhance the prosperity and peace of Nigeria. There should be no need for unhealthy rivalry between Lagos and the Federal Government. In spite of all that Lagos brings to the country’s economy, there is still a lot to be brought out in terms of the economic potential of the state. However, it would take statesmanship, patriotism, mutual respect and tolerance to unlock these potentials.
It is, therefore, not too late for the promoters of this current imbroglio in Lagos to toe the path of honour. Government’s main purpose is to protect and defend the interest of the people. What happened recently between LASTMA officials and operatives of the federal task force does not, in anyway, represent the interest of the people. According to Mao Tse-tung, the founder of modern People’s Republic of China, “Our duty (as leaders of the people) is to hold ourselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act and every policy must conform to the people’s interests, and if mistakes occur, they must be corrected – that is what being responsible to the people means”.
•Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.