The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, recently ordered the suspension of the enforcement of the Electronic Central Motor Registry Registration Process (e-CMR), but there are other actions that should follow this suspension because this enforcement was not lawfully backed in the first place.
Development Diaries reports that in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, noted that the e-CMR is not a revenue-generating platform, but an initiative to digitise policing for effectiveness and general safety of lives and property of residents.
Our concern here is that this initiative is a hijack of the major function of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services as backed by law because the Nigerian police are not legally backed to issue vehicle licences or certificates of any nature to vehicle owners after due registration of vehicles in the appropriate office.
This overreach undermines the rule of law and has also created unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for vehicle owners who have already complied with the proper registration processes through the appropriate offices.
One question that comes to mind is, what are the lawmakers doing in light of this development? They are there to represent the people, but while they are there, Nigerians are being overtaxed, illegally.
If not for the action of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), the IGP would not have given the directive to suspend the enforcement.
In light of these developments, it is expected that the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs should have taken swift and decisive action.
The police should focus on their primary responsibilities of maintaining law and order, rather than engaging in activities that fall outside their jurisdiction and contribute to unnecessary confusion and inconvenience for the public.
Development Diaries joins the NBA-SPIDEL in calling for the shutdown of the registration portal and physical registration centres, with refunds made to those who had already paid.
Also, we call on the Honourable Abubakar Yalleman-led House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs to urgently intervene in this questionable move by the police.
The committee should also work towards implementing clear guidelines and legislative measures that delineate the responsibilities of different government agencies concerning vehicle registration and licencing, thereby preventing future overreach and ensuring that all actions are in line with the law.
Photo source: Nigeria Police Force
