Guardian

Prince Chibudom Nwuche, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, spoke to SAMSON EZEA on the issue of over-speeding of convoy of government officials, especially state governors.

I BELIEVE the police and other security in convoys should be mindful of other road users.

When I see convoy speeding at 150 kilometre per hour, I wonder if the principals do not have regard for their own lives.

They should not allow their security aides to dictate for them how the vehicles should move, in terms of speeding. They are the principals and the security men are their aides.

As a matter of principle and courtesy, when I was in office and even now outside office, I do not exceed 120 kilometre per hour on a very good road and I often caution my aides when they exceed it.

So, it depends on the head of the convoy, but the principal has to be responsive and responsible and always have the interest of other road users at heart.

Convoy has caused too many accidents in the country and I see them often pushing other road users off the roads. It is uncivilised and nobody has the constitutional right to push another person off the road.

Why should our elected office holders allow their security aides to push people off the road and brutalised them. Our leaders should be responsible to the people and not to use power arrogantly.

Elsewhere in the world, when the elected office holder passes, you will hardly know, but in Africa, political power is used too oppressively.

We must begin to hold our leaders accountable; after all, they are our servants. That is why I am insisting that our votes must begin to count. When that happens, those elected to represent us would be mindful of how to they treat us.

I condemn the over-speeding of convoys and cannot understand why a state governor should have a convoy of more than 30 vehicles, including bulletproof cars, whereas majority of the people in his state have no ordinary water to drink or accessible roads to pass.

I think we are over-pampering our elected and public office holders. It high time we bring them to order regarding the way they carry on in governance.