LASTMA and I: An experience no one should have.

       
          To say that most of the Lagos state traffic management authority (LASTMA) officials on the streets of Lagos are touts would be an under statement.On the 24th of October 2012 at about 6:00am in the morning, i drove on this road (picture above) in Yaba, I was driving round this part of town after many years of studies in Benin. I innocently drove out of the motor park located in the heart of Yaba, opposite the Neuropsychiatric hospital in Yaba, driving on the left side of the dual carriage way you see above, thinking it was a normal road.
            I was intently looking out for any road signs on this road, so as to prevent me from falling into the pepper soup of the new lagos traffic laws I had heard of while still far away in Erediawa's kingdom. After cross checking the road I proceeded to drive through as planned. To my utmost surprise, on getting to the end of this road, there erupted LASTMA official with spikes in his hand, setting them at my back wheel Tyre, ready to suck the life out of it. He ordered me to switch off the engine and hand over my keys.

          I did as he commanded and stepped out of my time beaten student ridden 97 Honda"bulldog" and gently proceeded to begging him from the depth of my being, telling him there were no road signs to indicate that this road was a Oneway road. He ignored me and asked me to talk to an area boy (crony), who would tell me how to bail out my car. The street boy asked how much i had, I said: " 500 Naira pere lo wa lowo mi (I have 500 Naira only), street boy:"she o ni ATM?" Me: "Baba ko si owo kan kan ni ibe (baba, no money there)" Street boy: " U never ready collect your car" walks away from me.

I went back to beg this official till about 7am, with no results. At this point, the mini journalist in me was already boiling. 

To be continued............