The RoadWorthiness Paper Scam
Every vehicle on the road in Nigeria now carries one extra piece of paper.
Green background, with official looking logos and writing you can not read. You have to renew it every year or 6 months. It is one more thing for the police officers to check on the road.
And Road Safety officers.
And Vehicle Inspection officers.
And Operation Safer Highway officers.
And Anti Crime Patrol officers.
And SARS.
And Federal SARS.
And plains clothes officers.
And Customs officers.
And even local government touts.
And any group of person with dark glasses and some beaten up vehicle on the road manny a road block and holding an automatic weapon (most times pointed at you).
Every single one of them will check for this paper, study it as if it is the entrails of a sheep, then decide if it is fake or not. Then check expiry date again, confirm the VIN on it matches all the other VINs, then check the actual VIN on the vehicle and …….
I totally understand that the checkpoints are just there to slow down traffic and make some money for the people manning them, fine. But take a step back.
Of what use is a vehicle road worthiness certificate in Nigeria?
Ore – Ijebu Ode Highway in Nigeria
Your vehicle gets un-roadworthy within a few kilometers of being on any of our road. So what are you carrying and displaying such papers for?
Another minor point I hesitate to bring up but finally decided to … There is no check to get a road worthiness certificate, you just pay some money and the paper is issued.
So, does paying 1,000 Naira make your vehicle automagically road worthy?
Being a country where any rule can be brought up and people will follow or rather pay for, I guess it sort of makes sense or does it not?
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