Truck drivers block highway over police extortion, I feel their pain

Just saw the news about truck drivers blocking the Lagos-Ore-Benin highway. They are tired of police stopping them at every checkpoint and collecting money before they can move. I understand their frustration completely.

Last year I drove to Benin for a wedding. Before I even left Lagos, I was stopped three times. Each stop the officer would say the same thing, 'Your vehicle documents are not complete.' I have all my documents. But you pay or you argue for 30 minutes in the heat. I paid twice. The third one I argued and he kept me there for an hour. Missed the wedding reception.

The numbers don't lie. If a truck driver makes maybe ₦300,000 per trip and they spend ₦50,000 on bribes across multiple checkpoints, that is 16% of their revenue gone before fuel and maintenance. How do you run a business like that? We complain about high transport costs but we never ask why the cost is high. The system is designed to extract from everyone who moves.