Former Lagos Governor turned Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Monday proposed community service for traffic offenders in Nigeria.
Fashola said this while making the proposal in Abuja at the House of Representatives’ public hearing on a proposed Bill to amend the Federal Road Safety Commission Act 2004. He urged the legislature to become more innovative in the penalties to be enacted into law, in order to effectively reduce accidents on the roads.
The minister said that jail terms and fines do not correct category of offenders who are residual, thus his suggestion of community service.
“The penalties proposed in the bill seem to focus on custodian and peculiar to the extent that they have existed for quite a while without seeing an appreciable reduction in the incidents.
“Perhaps parliament can be a little more daring and a little more innovative in some of the kinds of penalties it wants to consider. Irrespective of the fine, they will commit the offence anyway.
“So parliament in this sense is invited to consider sanctions like community service,” he said
He also called for a psychological test and compulsory retraining and recertification of such offenders under supervision.
What do you guys think about this idea of community service for traffic offenders? Can it work here?
M nt sure dis idea can work here…sum pple wil stil bribe d officials of d road safety, nd sum pple wil also fil biger dn d rule of law..
Is a gud bill, bt if only adequate nd proper tinz ar put in place..
Definitely a good idea, but if in the United states offenders with lots of dough can hire someone for their community service, how much more Nigeria where corruption is a way of life, and citizens can buy their way out of trouble, Unless the officers are as holy as pope, that’s the only way it will work.
That’s the big question, “Can it work?” This is Nigeria and we know what our citizens are like, but let’s be optimistic and hope things work out well.