Users Of Tinted Glass Risk N50,000 Fine, 6-Month Jail Term - Senate

Anyone driving tinted glass vehicles without permit now risk
a fine of N50,000 or a six-month jail term or both. This was
as a result of the final passage by the Senate, on Thursday,
the Bill for an Act to amend the Motor Vehicle (Prohibition
of Tinted Glass) Act aimed at checking indiscriminate use of
tinted glass vehicles without approval. The options of fine,
jail term or both were contained in the bill, first read on the
floor on April 18, 2013 and sponsored by Senator Ita
Enang. Read more after the break
The decision of the Senate followed the adoption and
approval of the report of its joint committee on Police Affairs
and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on the bill.

The chairman of the joint committee, Senator Paulinus
Nwagwu, said the bill "seeks essentially, to amend the
extant law in order to check indiscriminate use of tinted
glass vehicles which beat security checks and carry out
nefarious activities." Nwagwu said the need for the bill
arose, following the reactions of Nigerians to the recent
announcement by the Nigeria Police of its intention to arrest
and prosecute Nigerians driving cars with tinted glass.
He said it was, therefore, necessary to let Nigerians know
that the police was not trying to introduce a new law but
was merely trying to enforce an already existing
Regulations 66 (2) of the National Traffic Regulations of
1997 and the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass)
Act. Nwagwu said the Motor Vehicle (Prohibition of Tinted
Glass ) Act Amendment Bill 2013 was thus sponsored to,
among others, amend the enabling act with a view to
streamlining it with the present realities.

"The bill also seeks
to address the persisting injustice meted out to Nigerians
through embarrassment and harassment, which constitutes
a serious affront to the fundamental rights of Nigerians
against discrimination as enshrined under Section 42 of the
Constitution," he added.

He said various stakeholders, during the public hearing on
the bill, had emphasised the need to address current
upsurge in terrorism and other crimes like kidnapping, child
trafficking. The bill, among other provisions, requested
buyers of imported vehicles with tinted, shaded, coloured,
darkened or treated glass to change it to transparent ones
within 14 days from the date of arrival in Nigeria or date of
purchase.

In the alternative, it stipulated that buyers of such vehicles
should request for a permit for the use of such tinted glass
vehicles from the Office of the Inspector General of Police,
anywhere in the country, within 90 days of importing the
vehicle.

Won't those who engage in nefarious activities simply get a
permit for their tinted glasses and still continue perpetration
their heinous crimes?
Is somebody else seeing what i am
seeing?

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN