The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is eyeing a significant N16 billion revenue which could be generated by enforcing its tinted-glass permit policy, a process it has tried to hasten even in the face of court orders.
It had already scheduled the resumption of the policy for June 1, but it was later rescheduled for October 2.
The policy, introduced by Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, faced criticism from Nigerians. They viewed it as a new way the police could use to extort money from road users.
The Nigerian Bar Association also shared the sentiment of the masses and, as a result, filed a lawsuit against the police at the Federal High Court, Abuja, over the legality of the policy.
The NBA claimed that the policy bears a semblance to an outdated Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act, and that it would place unnecessary financial burden on road users, especially for those whose cars come with factory-tinted glass.
In a similar case at the Federal High Court, Warri, Delta State, the court ruled that the police should halt the move to resume enforcement of the policy.
When Nigerians complained about the policy to a point, the IGP held a meeting with NBA representatives, where a temporary suspension of the policy was agreed.
On December 15, the police defied court orders and resumed the enforcement of the policy.
In reaction, Afam Osigwe, President of the NBA, accused the police of contempt of court.
He described the policy as a “money-making venture by the police”.
“The Nigerian Police Force is a law-enforcement agency, it is not one meant to generate revenue, and it is more worrisome that the policy implementation requires that the money be paid into a private account. There is no indication that this is being done as a public-private initiative,” Osigwe stated.
In response to Osigwe’s words, the police, in a statement signed by Force PRO Benjamin Hundeyin on Friday, denied Osigwe’s claim that the policy was for the purpose of revenue generation.
“The Nigeria Police Force is not a revenue-generating organisation. Nonetheless, the Force is empowered by law to receive funds that accrue incidentally in the discharge of its statutory functions. Section 26(1)(f) of the Police Act, 2020 (as amended) expressly recognises this authority,” the statement read in part.
With the police’s insistence on proceeding with the permit policy, despite the public outcry, even though it is not a statutory revenue-generating agency, the huge sum it would generate could be a motivation.
TINTED-GLASS PERMIT AKA HEFTY FINANCIAL HAUL
Owing to the way this permit has been formulated, Nigerians buying cars that have factory-fitted tinted glasses are not exempted, it pulls every user in.
While the number of Nigerians who might be willing to get this permit could not be precisely determined, FIJ takes a conservative look at how much it might generate for the police, annually.
The latest National Bureau of Statistics data on the number of registered vehicles in Nigeria was in Q4 2018 when it was pegged at 11.8 million.
While FIJ cannot confirm the exact amount of the permit at press time, the latest media reports suggest the amount is about N14,200.
Calculating with a tenth of the NBS figures from 2018, which stands at 1.18 million registered vehicles, at the rate of N14,200 annually, the rough math of the amount the police are set to generate could be up to N16.7 billion.
But when considered for population increase between 2018 and 2025, in addition to the unregistered, whose owners would also have to pay for the permit, the police could make even more than the estimated N16 billion per year.
