Tinted logic on tinted glasses
What is this over-night blanket-ban on tinted vehicle glasses? Suddenly we are harassed by policemen asking stupid questions such as “Why did you tint your glasses?” The senior officers sometimes understand when you explain that it was not your own doing since the cars were imported like that, but then they add that the IG […]
What is this over-night blanket-ban on tinted vehicle glasses? Suddenly we are harassed by policemen asking stupid questions such as “Why did you tint your glasses?” The senior officers sometimes understand when you explain that it was not your own doing since the cars were imported like that, but then they add that the IG (the Oga at the top) instructed them to apprehend any vehicle with any sort of tint on the glasses. You then have to “settle” them if you want to go about your legitimate business.
It is important to continuously remind public officers including the Police IG and the President that we are not their slaves and they cannot just wake up and shove us any which way. We are citizens of a free democracy and not subjects of some overload. Laws should serve the general good not someone’s fancies, not even in the guise of security.
Let us, for the sake of argument, concede that the “Oga at the top” is bothered about some security threats supposedly posed by tinted glasses on vehicles. Let us further ignore the fact that most terrorist operate on motor bikes and “keke-napeps”, and that the suicide car bomber would not need tinted vehicles anyway. Let us even assume that the law allows him to wake up and declare anything as being illegal, which is more problematic. Even then is this really how to go about things?
Most vehicles in today’s world come with some tint in the wind-screen, side- and rear-glasses. The manufacturers and users are not stupid; there are logical explanations for these tints. Slight tints reduce glare and often make driving safer and more comfortable. They often reduce the amount of harmful rays striking our body in this harsh and sunny clime. These facts are recognized even by our own leaders, which explains why Nigeria has allowed cars with tinted glasses to be imported, and indeed collects import duties on them, for decades. Even the locally assembled vehicles come to us already tinted, and excise and other duties are collected on them. It is therefore perfectly legal for people to own and drive such vehicles. The Government has allowed the importation of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of such cars, for decades and has been collecting taxes on them. It cannot suddenly wake up and give us two weeks to change all our tinted glasses.
Even if it is true that the recent crises resulting from the activities of terror groups, assassins and armed robbers warrant the banning of vehicles with tinted glasses certain preliminary steps should have been taken right from the start. First of all, there should have been a law to that effect. Customs and Excise should be instructed to stop their importation, assembly and/or manufacture. Even then those already paid for or shipped could be exempted.
Secondly, the logistical feasibility of the move should be considered. It would cost the average car owner at least N250,000.00 to change all the glasses in the smallest saloon, and for the more expensive vehicles the amount would top two or three millions. Come to think of it, are these replacement non-tinted glasses available here and now? What are we to do with the ones to be removed? Sell them to the IG of Police?
Next, the Government would need to give some time for the citizens to be prepared and to the spare-parts dealers to import non-tinted replacements. Maybe it should even assist with the costs as it misled us into believing they are legal by allowing the vehicles to be sold in Nigeria and collected revenue on them.
Laws should be sensible and easy to abide with. We use vehicles for our daily pursuits and household chores. We should not be asked to look for hundreds of thousands of Naira to change them (or some parts in them) within two weeks, or else park them. It is neither fair nor reasonable.
Some people, we should admit, tint their vehicles so dark that one cannot see inside. The Police and other security personnel should rightly be concerned with these. The truth however is more complex as these are the rich and powerful in our society who the “wetin you carry” guys on the road blocks dare not even stop. These are the ones that would benefit from registration with the Police. The Presidency, ministers, permanent secretaries, director-generals, senior armed forces and police officers, and other rich and powerful individuals all have vehicles with tinted glasses. Thus it is surprising that everyone is keeping quite faced with such an irrational directive from the police IG.
Even in Europe and the US where the concerns over terror attacks are more palpable, the citizens don’t just keep quite when faced with measures seeking to limit their rights under the pretext of their threats. Rationality, commonsense and due process must be followed least we give up our rights and freedoms. Introduce new and more effective measures when they become necessary but not by fiat, and not overnight.
The directive retroactively makes us all criminals. When we bought vehicles with tinted glasses we were acting legally. Now we are asked to beg, borrow or steal to replace what we legitimately bought. Or else we should stop driving around with such vehicles. If this does not qualify as retroactive “legislation” then please enlighten me.
Need we remind IG Abubakar that these are the sort of quasi-legal, anti-people and questionable actions and policies that led us to our present mess in the first place? If the Police have prosecuted one Malam Yusuf in Maiduguri, if the JTF has been more sensitive of the need to win the hearts and minds of the people despite provocations, if Jonathan and Azazi had listen to the advice of others and have handled the counter-insurgency differently perhaps we would not be talking of tinted glasses on vehicles.
Time for me to wipe my tinted eye-glasses; hope they are still legal.