VIO: A Menace Unchecked on Our Roads
By Jerry ADESEWO
The Vehicle Inspectorate Office, popularly known in Nigeria by its acronym, VIO, and tasked with maintaining road safety by ensuring vehicle compliance, has become a symbol of highhandedness and incompetence on Nigerian roads. Rather than fulfilling its mandate to conduct inspections and enforce regulations, the VIO’s presence is characterised by a lack of accountability and ineffectiveness, allowing a myriad of issues to persist unchecked.
On the roads, the VIO’s approach seems more inclined towards high-handed tactics than ensuring genuine compliance. Instead of fostering a cooperative relationship with motorists, they assume an air of authoritarianism that contributes to a negative perception of the agency.
This authoritarian behaviour not only fails to secure the support and cooperation essential for effective road safety measures but also contributes to a prevailing sentiment of dissatisfaction among road users. Many individuals today can share personal accounts of their unprofessionalism and high-handedness. I, too, have experienced such incidents firsthand.
Recently, I drove into Gwarimpa via the Life Camp bypass, and as I negotiated the corner near Bakan Gizo supermarket, I encountered six officers from the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO). To my surprise, they singled out my vehicle as if they had prior information that my papers were incomplete. The lead officer approached, demanding my papers in an intimidating manner.
I rolled down my windows and politely explained that I didn’t have the physical papers but suggested they could verify through their digital apps. They checked and confirmed that I had recently renewed my papers. Despite this, they insisted on seeing the hard copy. I mentioned that I had just returned from a trip and hadn’t collected the physical papers from their office, but they remained adamant.
In a bid to resolve the situation, I contacted my insurer, whose office is conveniently located opposite the Mabushi VIO office. She advised me to show them the SMS confirmation of my renewal, but even this was rejected. Before I could react, one of the officers started tampering with my number plate, prompting me to dial a number.
“If you dare remove my number plate despite providing evidence of renewal, I assure you that you’ll lose your job because I’m calling Ilodiba right away.” I warned as I fiddled with the phone, searching for Ilodiba’s number to dial.
Curious, two of them inquired, “Who is Ilodiba?” The only female officer among them clarified, “Na Oga PRO be that of.” At that point, they abruptly abandoned their actions, retreated to their vehicle, and left the area.
While the VIO’s highhandedness is visible in my personal encounter, which is just one of many, I witnessed today highhandedness and incompetence combined. As you approached the bridge, driving into Wuse Market from the Mabushi, we were surprised by a long queue, which initially we thought was due to the usual traffic jam caused by the Wuse Market. When the gridlock persists, most passenger vehicles empty their cars right there, and we walk up the street, only to find out that a VIO activity was partly responsible for the traffic situation.
At first, I made my way past the melee, but when I noticed how enraged the driver of the Honda car ‘arrested’ by the VIOs was, I decided to, like a few other persons, intervene. and I was glad I did. They had pulled the car over and asked him to produce his paper, which he did. It was clearly writing August 2024, and a sticker to the same effect was also pasted on the windscreen of the car. However, the VIO officer used the app on his phone, which shows that the car’s documentation is incomplete, as it reads: ‘Policy not complete’, while the driver insisted that he did everything, right at their Asokoro office, and under duress, when they arrested him in August 2023.
I called both men aside and inquired about what transpired. The office claimed FG empowered him to carry out ninety-nine functions on every car on the road, and no one could stop him from doing the same. While the driver insisted, he had done due diligence and was going to press for charges for his damaged plate number, as, like in my own case, one of the officers had forcefully detached his plate number from the car.
I told the officer what they did was wrong and asked the way forward. At that point, he pushed his phone at my face to show me the information from the app, and then I discovered he had imputed the wrong number in his app. A clerical error! Instead of ‘DKA’, he had imputed ‘DXA’, hence the wrong input, on the grounds of which they had been harassing the driver. Not intended, but that was a careless mistake. Disappointed in himself, he imputed the correct number, and behold, the young man’s paper is as complete as he had claimed. He became even more enraged. His mother and sister (or wife), who had been on the receiving end of the VIO’s show of shame, threatened to attack the officers, but we intervened and pleaded with them to go.
The VIO is glaring in its inability to curb violations and maintain compliance. Vehicles in deplorable conditions abound on our roads, from whom they simply collect tips and let them off, while they intentionally look out for unsuspecting victims among private drivers because they believe they can easily be drivers with expired licences, and a general disregard for safety regulations has become the norm. The absence of a competent and proactive VIO allows these violations to persist, endangering the lives of road users.
Rather than being a force that ensures adherence to safety standards, the VIO’s incompetence creates an environment where motorists feel they can flout regulations without consequence. This fosters a culture of non-compliance and undermines the very essence of road safety.
Dealing with this issue requires a fundamental shift in the VIO’s approach. Instead of relying on high-handed tactics, the office should focus on competence, collaboration, and public education. An effective VIO should be visible on the roads, equipped to enforce regulations, and capable of fostering a culture of compliance through awareness campaigns.
It should be noted that, in a recent court case initiated in Asaba Delta State by Mr. Kunle Edun of the Nigerian Bar Association, after an encounter with the VIO, the Court of Appeal delivered a judgement stating that the VIO has no business being on the road and especially harassing private vehicle owners, who can always find other ways of addressing their issues in case they default.
Addressing the highhandedness and incompetence of the VIO is essential for restoring public trust and ensuring road safety. A reformed VIO that emphasises competence, accountability, and collaboration can contribute significantly to creating safer roads for all Nigerians.