FRSC’s hair cutting scandal
Video pictures that went viral on the internet showing Rivers State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Andrew Kumapayi cutting the hair of some female officers with a pair of scissors caused shock and consternation in official circles as well as with the general public. It forced FRSC’s Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi to suspend Kumapayi from office, together with the female officers, pending full investigations.
The incident reportedly happened during an early morning parade when Kumapayi went round to inspect his officers. He found the female officers to be sporting fashionable long hair, contrary to the rules of the service. In the picture, Kumapayi was seen using a pair of scissors to cut the female officers’ hair. He inspected their fingernails and hair among other things, whereby the offenders were lined up for his brand of punishment. FRSC’s spokesperson Bisi Kazeem said other officers who participated in the hair cutting exercise were also suspended alongside Kumapayi.
Even if the female officers breached the corp’s hair rules, Kumapayi completely departed from the rules in the book and instead resorted to a style associated in Nigerians’ minds with the dark days of military rule when punishments such as frog jump, whipping and being made to crawl were common. However, we are now in a democratic dispensation where rule of law should be adhered to and if offenders are found wanting, then they should be punished accordingly. We believe the Federal Road Safety Corps has its rules of doing things and if female officers violate the dressing code, there should be ways in the rules to address that.
At best sector commander Kumapayi appeared to be guilty of doing the right thing in the wrong way. A senior officer like him who knew what the corp’s rules are with regards to dress and hair style also ought to know what the sanctions are for infractions. As such, he should be punished for his over zealousness to serve as a lesson to others who may see his behaviour as a clue on how to deal with errant female officers who violate the dressing code.
As for the female officers, if indeed they are found to have violated the rules, the appropriate punishment should be meted out to them. After all, before going into such jobs, they must be familiar with the rules and regulations and, if a woman finds that she couldn’t do without her long hair, long nails, nail paint or dangling earrings as the case may be, she has the option of staying away from the FRSC job. Organisations such as FRSC always have dress and other codes that take away some rights of a civilian. One cannot however take on the job and then go ahead to assert her freedoms as a woman by violating the rules.
What has made the behaviour of Andrew Kumapayi doubly unfortunate and why it has generated reactions was because opposite genders were involved, which could easily be misconstrued. In fact, in another sense, for a male officer to take it upon himself to crop a female officer’s hair could constitute sexual harassment. These female officers may be wives, daughters, sisters or mothers of other people and their families would not be happy at all to see them being publicly humiliated. It will also rub off very poorly on FRSC if parents, husbands and brothers get the impression that this is how it deals with its errant female staffers.
FRSC’s spokesperson Bisi Kazeem said the outcome of the investigation would be made public so we urge for a speedy investigation and appropriate sanctions to be meted out to the offenders, while those not found to have committed any offence should be recalled to their jobs.