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Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
A lawyer and activist, Busayo Sule, of Destiny Chambers in Ado-Ekiti, has made a clarion call for the establishment of special department for traffic wardens in the Nigeria Police Force.
The legal practitioner noted that the actualisation of this will go a long way in solving the lingering division in the Force and provide solutions to the problem of stagnation currently affecting officers in this category.
This was contained in a letter written by the lawyer and addressed to The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammad Maigari Digyadi and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
Also copied in the letter dated June 18, 2020, were President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan , Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Alhaji Musliu Smith.
In the statement made available to journalists on Saturday, the lawyer regretted that careers of Nigerians, who work as traffic wardens are being dimmed over their inabilities to enjoy progression like their counterparts in general duties and works departments in NPF.
To save the victims, Sule appealed for a reform that would guarantee the establishment of a department for traffic warden or merge same under police as done for Federal Investigation Bureau (FIB) and others in the Force.
“Currently, the traffic warden establishment under chapter II of the police Act and regulations has been an obstacle to the traffic wardens, particularly on their promotion, placement as the head of department and general welfare. Ceiling their promotions at either Assistant Superintendent of Police or Deputy Superintendent of police is a great injustice.”
The Lawyer added that the eight National Assembly, had passed a sponsored bill in 2018 for the autonomy for traffic warden service, regretting that the bill was yet to be assented to by President Buhari.
“Also, an NGO by the name Vanguard for the Actualisation of Traffic Warden Autonomy, in a letter addressed to the Minister on 16th September, 2010, appealed that a committee be constituted to consider the issue raised and proffered President’s intervention to resolve the issues of promotions, career progression and general welfare.
“It is observable that the plight of the traffic wardens is worsening by the day. They have not been promoted for 10 years and no recruitment since 2007 till date, because of some unresolved issues since its establishment in 1974.”
However, the activist suggested that a reform that would guarantee a special department for the traffic warden headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police(DIG) Traffic as obtainable in Gambia and other West African countries, remained the best remedy under this circumstance.
“If the concerned authorities can effect this in the interest of peace, efficiency and justice, it will ensure prompt promotion of personnel, defined headship at the state level, proper postings, regular recruitment and training and retraining of traffic warden personnel”, he pointed out.
