Great Things. . .

Some more Tales on LASTMA

2008-03-07T08:25:00.001+01:00

More tales on LASTMA
http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2002/12/07/20021207plu01.html

http://www.punchng.com/Article-print2.aspx?theartic=Art200802294112114

http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/2003/mar/30/0073.html

http://search.ft.com/nonFtArticle?id=040604005289

Cheers.

LASTMA - Lagos State Transport Management Authority

2008-03-05T16:28:00.006+01:00

An Encounter with LASTMA (Lagos State Transport Management Authority):
If you reside within and around Lagos you would have seen the "Pseudo Traffic cops" popularly known as LASTMA Officials in their faded cream-coloured shirt and "red" trousers.

In as much as I agree these guys might be doing a good job in controlling the chaotic nature of the Lagos traffic situation, it has become obvious that the corrupt "settlement" fever has also gripped them. Little wonder the public don't respect them any more; and they in turn "deal" with any person that falls into their "hands" with their bluffs.

I fell . . .
I fell into their hands on Monday 3rd March, 2008. I erroneously made a u-turn on a road that had a very faint "solid-line" and without a "No U-Turn" sign as it were. Suffice it to say, one of the LASTMA guys "jumped" into my car.

Should I settle. . .
Shortly afterwards he informed me that if I was to get to their office at ALAUSA area of Lagos, I will be fined N20,00.00 (twenty thousand naira) for the offence. But that he will "HELP" me by asking me to give him just N5,000.00 (five thousand naira) to let me go. I'd already made up my mind not to give him anything since he failed to let me go after I pleaded with him.

My refusal to agree to this possible got him upset because he made sure I got to their Office at Alausa, where my was parked/impounded? (which from the list of bills should not be so).

Wrong bill
I was given a total fine of N4,000.00. The wrong u-turn had a N2,000.00, but because I failed to "settle" the guy, he got his boss to trump up another N2,000.00 fine that made the total N4,000.00 as I later got to see on the reverse side of the bill, and raised the issue of wrongful billing with the boss, only for him to say he couldn't change it.

Un-Receipted payments
I was then directed to pay the bill at a GTBank branch at Allen Avenue in Lagos (about 20mins away) then come back to the sub-treasury unit of Ministry of Transport premises, a stone throw from the LASTMA office Alausa to process the receipt, made photocopies, paid an un-receipted N500.00 for "Gate Pass", got a on-site vulcanizer to pump 2 of my deflated tyres at N100.00 per tyre (as against N40 each on the street).

A nearer GTBank
While at the treasury, I noticed that a GTBank office located within the Ministry premises and I wondered why I wasn't directed to the branch of the Bank instead going all the way to Allen Avenue.

The Bluff
Because the N5000-guy (I noted his name tag too) thought I was ignorant of the actual fine charged, he threw a scary N20,000 value at me so that I will negotiate with him. To which I called his bluff because I preferred paying the money to the State treasury instead of road-side LASTMA thief.

Ending the Mystery
In order to KILL the mystery about the FINES & PENALTIES BY LASTMA, I have placed LINKS in this write-up to a scanned photocopy of the fines as seen on the reverse page of the bill I was given.

I suggest you look through the details, so that as you try your best to avoid traffic offences, you will have the details of the possible bills you will pay when & if you flaunt one.

Drive safely.

Click on image to enlarge.

LASTMA - Lagos State Traffic Management Authority

2008-03-04T11:25:00.000+01:00

Why do they do what they do like that?

Lagos State Traffic Management Authority. . .

Most Forwarded Documents

2007-04-11T11:40:00.001+01:00

The following list represents the most forwarded documents from April 2, 2007 to April 8, 2007.

1. HRW Letter to Kenyan Director of Political Affairs Thomas Amolo
(March 22, 2007) – Human Rights Watch’s research has found that the governments of Kenya, Ethiopia, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and the United States have closely cooperated in a detention operation along the Kenyan-Somali border following the armed conflict between the Union of Islamic Courts and the joint forces of the Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopia.
Read More

2. People Fleeing Somalia War Secretly Detained
Kenya, US and Ethiopia Cooperate in Secret Detentions and Renditions
(New York, March 30, 2007) – Kenya, Ethiopia, the United States and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia cooperated in a secret detention program for people who had fled the recent conflict in Somalia, Human Rights Watch said today.
Read More

3. Q & A: Crisis in Darfur
What has happened in Darfur?
Since early 2003, Sudanese government forces and ethnic militia called “Janjaweed” have engaged in an armed conflict with rebel groups called the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). As part of its operations against the rebels, government forces have waged a systematic campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against the civilian population who are members of the same ethnic groups as the rebels.
Read More

4. UN: Rights Council Remains Timid in Face of Abuses
Darfur Resolution Provides Basis for Further Action
(Geneva, March 30, 2007) – The UN Human Rights Council closed its fourth regular session today having failed to take action to address many of the world’s most urgent human rights situations, Human Rights Watch said today. The council adoption of a compromise text regarding the crisis in Darfur, however, was a welcome if small step forward.
Read More

5. US Sent Guantanamo Detainees Home to Torture in Russia
New Report Shows Why 'Diplomatic Assurances' Don't Work
(New York, March 29, 2007) – Former Guantanamo detainees who were sent home to Russia in 2004 experienced torture and other abuse despite Moscow’s pledge to the US government that they would be treated humanely, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
Read More

Most Forwarded Documents

Most Requested Documents

2007-04-11T11:40:00.000+01:00

The following list represents the most requested documents from April 2, 2007 to April 8, 2007.

1. UN: Rights Council Remains Timid in Face of Abuses
Darfur Resolution Provides Basis for Further Action
(Geneva, March 30, 2007) – The UN Human Rights Council closed its fourth regular session today having failed to take action to address many of the world’s most urgent human rights situations, Human Rights Watch said today. The council adoption of a compromise text regarding the crisis in Darfur, however, was a welcome if small step forward.
Read More

2. US Sent Guantanamo Detainees Home to Torture in Russia
New Report Shows Why 'Diplomatic Assurances' Don't Work
(New York, March 29, 2007) – Former Guantanamo detainees who were sent home to Russia in 2004 experienced torture and other abuse despite Moscow’s pledge to the US government that they would be treated humanely, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.
Read More

3. People Fleeing Somalia War Secretly Detained
Kenya, US and Ethiopia Cooperate in Secret Detentions and Renditions
(New York, March 30, 2007) – Kenya, Ethiopia, the United States and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia cooperated in a secret detention program for people who had fled the recent conflict in Somalia, Human Rights Watch said today.
Read More

4. Nigeria: Elections Threatened by Violence and Abuse of Power
Government Must Act Against Political Violence, End Election-Related Abuses
(Lagos, April 4, 2007) – The Nigerian government’s partisan meddling in the electoral process and its unwillingness to tackle political violence threatens to undermine nationwide polls scheduled for April 14 and 21, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today.
Read More

5. Q & A: Crisis in Darfur
What has happened in Darfur?
Since early 2003, Sudanese government forces and ethnic militia called “Janjaweed” have engaged in an armed conflict with rebel groups called the Sudanese Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). As part of its operations against the rebels, government forces have waged a systematic campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against the civilian population who are members of the same ethnic groups as the rebels.
Read More

Most Requested Audio

2007-04-11T11:18:00.000+01:00

The following list represents the most downloaded audio clips from April 2, 2007 to April 8, 2007.

1. Building Towers, Cheating Workers
Exploitation of Migrant Construction Workers in the United Arab Emirates
(Dubai, November 12, 2006) – As the United Arab Emirates experiences one of the world’s largest construction booms, its government has failed to stop employers from seriously abusing the rights of the country’s half million migrant construction workers, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Listen

2. Triangle of Death: A Place of Horrors in Katanga Province
Anneke Van Woudenberg, Senior Research for the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch discusses the findings of a research mission to Katanga Province in March-April 2006. Listen

3. US Sent Guantanamo Detainees Home to Torture in Russia
Carroll Bogert is associate director of Human Rights Watch and author of a report on Russia’s treatment of ex-Guantanamo detainees.Listen

4. Audio Commentary by Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Director, Africa Divison of Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Development in Sudan (HRW World Report 2007) Listen

5. Free expression, the treatment of juveniles, and the rights of human rights defenders in Iran
Human Rights Watch researcher Hadi Ghaemi hopes the Human Rights Council’s agenda this year will prominently include Iran, a country with high rates of execution and harsh penalties for activists. Emma Daly speaks to Hadi on what to expect, and what Human Rights Watch hopes to see in the council’s fourth session. Listen

Health and Fitness

2007-03-28T15:30:00.000+01:00

What do we understand by Health and Fitness.
Why do we always neglect things we should do to stay healthy and indulge in habits that are detrimental to our lives.

Some of us try to stay healthy, but our lifestyles need to be modifies if we are to achieve this.

Lots of health complications usually arises from indulging in unhealthy habits. These include Obesity, Diabetes, Heart Conditions, High Cholesterol level, etc.

This can however be corrected to certain extent, but most physicians advocate that the person changes lifestyle. Such as stopping smoking, eating healthily, avoiding fatty food, body weight reduction, and so on, before drug treatment will be introduced along side.

The incidence of high intake of snacks from fast-food joints and eateries are avenues where fatty food, over-processed food, sugary-beverages, etc are taken in.

We'll discuss more later.

Cheers.