Nigerians face economic pressure at many points. With scant consultation or consideration, the government unjustifiably increases the cost of services.
Since its inception, the Bola Tinubu administration has cancelled petrol subsidies, floated the naira, increased electricity tariff (Band A) and hiked passport costs twice to feed an inflationary spiral that has left poor Nigerians reeling.
To compound this, the Nigeria Police Force has decreed that all motorists with tinted glasses must acquire a permit, with October 2 as the deadline for enforcement. This is arbitrary.
It is a bad idea, patently extortionate and imposes additional burden on hard-pressed Nigerians.
Therefore, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, must cancel it.
Moreover, there is a case against the policy in court. Nigerians must rise against the obnoxious policy through all legal means.
Curiously, the police refuse to distinguish between factory-fitted tinted glasses and aftermarket variants.
Yet, this is the crux of the matter. Nigeria is not an isolated country. It imports cars from abroad, and modern vehicles come with factory-fitted tinted glasses. It is harsh for Egbetokun to discountenance this in the drive to generate revenue for the police.
By law, the police are not a revenue-generating agency. On its portal, the NPF collects fees for about six services to the public and corporate organisations.
By collecting money, they have turned themselves into a money-making agency, which should not be the case. In this context, bail is free, but everyone knows that this is not the practice. The police are not helping their already-stained image.
The enforcement will instigate chaos and extortion, given the Nigeria Police’s long and sordid history of extortion, bribery and extra-judicial killings.
According to the police, the tinted glass permit costs N14,200. The vehicle owner will apply through a dedicated police portal, pay and go for biometric capture at a police station. This is a potentially huge revenue stream and an inconvenience most can ill afford.
Sadly, there are too many layers of taxation in Nigeria. This optics is bad for a country that is trying to shake off its notoriety as a difficult place to do business.
Again, the permit directly undermines Nigeria’s tax reforms, which come into effect in January. Taiwo Oyedele, the chairman of the tax reforms committee, said, “Nigeria’s tax system is unconducive to growth due to the multiplicity of taxes and taxing agencies, as well as the high corporate tax burden on businesses.” He is right. The police should be mindful of burdening Nigerians further.
The excuse of insecurity is dubious. First, criminals will pay for the permit despite the requirements of NIN, BVN and biometric capture. This leaves innocent Nigerians at the mercy of overzealous police officers and directly aids criminals, who can easily pay for permits.
Egbetokun should emulate the best global practices. In the United Kingdom, motorists do not pay for tinted glass.
The front windows and windscreen must be 70 per cent visible, which is the case with factory-fitted windscreens of the cars imported into Nigeria.
The UK fine kicks in there if the glass is too dark. So, Egbetokun should not use insecurity as a pretext to generate money. The IG should clamp down on glasses fitted with extra-dark nylons for the front windows and windscreens rather than harassing innocent motorists.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case under Egbetokun. With the untenable excuse that a vehicle owner will receive an alert if the vehicle is stolen, the police deployed a similar tactic in 2024. It came out with the electronic Central Motor Registry policy at a cost of N5,375. But public outcry forced the abrogation.
Apart from the financial burden, tinted glass protects the occupants of a vehicle from the harsh rays of the sun. It is one of the reasons car manufacturers install it.
Policing is not people-friendly in Nigeria. Officers will employ the tinted glass permit policy to cause delays, harassment, and abuse at traffic stops on the highways.
For now, Egbetokun should improve security by withdrawing the officers illegally attached to VIPs and politically exposed persons and going after criminals. The withdrawn officers should be redeployed in communities and the field.
The NPF should stop its open contest against the Police Service Commission in its bid to recruit new officers and deploy technology for crime detection.
