As if the pot holes the size of cars were not enough to keep things at a crawl when driving in Nigeria, add to that having to stop and talk to the police every 5 minutes!!

This would generally give you a sense of peace they are police officers after all! Here in Nigeria though it is a different story all together. As I have been told I can do anything I want here, after all if I have money freedom is just a bribe away!

At least the road blocks have a method for dealing with these things. A line up of the people who don’t want to pay slows thing down while a second much faster line with people hanging money out the window zips past. The general toll: 20 Naira or around 15 cents! We are lucky since we travel with a policeman that we don’t get stopped but the openness about the bribes is just amazing to see.

So far I have not had to pay any bribes. A little bit of charm and getting them to laugh is my first approach and if that doesn’t work then I throw a fit and yell at them. As a white person they are still a little fearful of me.

I don’t really know what is worse that the police all are looking for bribes here or that the fact that I am white and there is still racism here to make them scared of me gets me off from having to pay.

Here is a report going on from the BBC about the safety here in Nigeria. Enubu the city they are taken from is where I fly out in and out of and around 40 minutes from the house I am staying at.

Mom, you shouldn’t read these!!!

On Patrol With Nigerian Police

Nigeria’s Vigilantes

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