Disagreement Between The House Of Reps, Senate And The Presidency Over High Cost Of New Driver's Licence And Number Plates

Left to the Osita Chidoka-led Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) the number plates and driver’s licences currently in use would be phased out come 2012. 

Already, the minds of Nigerians are being prepared by officials of the Commission each time they have the opportunity to speak to the public, especially through the media. But the plan has run into a firestorm of suspicion and criticism both by the House of Representatives and some members of the public who do not see the rationale for it. 

The FRSC has, since the past four years, been struggling to achieve harmony with the states on the modalities for establishing a seamless central database for vehicle plate numbers and driver’s licences while at the same time avoiding the frequent frictions that often arise over matters of jurisdiction.



Apparently, having made a breakthrough in negotiations, the FRSC is pushing ahead with a policy that will cost each certified and qualified driver who owns a vehicle to part with the sum of at least N21,000 for both items. The amount goes much higher for higher grades of vehicles.


President Goodluck Jonathan has already put a seal of approval to this scheme since he, on Friday, September 2nd 2011, unveiled the new vehicle security items. He described it as the FRSC’s contribution to his government’s transformational agenda. But the House of Representatives is not in a similar upbeat mood about the scheme. On Tuesday, November 15th, Hon Sam Tsokwa, the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, raised a motion on a matter of urgent public importance when he alerted his colleagues to the dangers of ambarking on the scheme.

According to him, the FRSC’s intention is illegal, as it has no legal backing. Apart from Hon Leo Ogor who supported the policy, many other members who spoke also were of the view that the FRSC under Chidoka seems to see itself as a revenue mobilising agency of government which, according to them, it is not. The number plates and driver’s licences are estimated to bring in about N190 billion. The House has since set up a committee to look into the issue and report back to it.

Many members of the House who spoke against the scheme were concerned over the high cost of the new venture. Indeed, the year 2012 promises to witness prices of government-regulated items such as petroleum products, exchange rates and vehicular documents hitting the roof. Many motorists have also voiced their displeasure at yet another huge expenditure staring them in the face when the measure goes into force next year.


We understand and sympathise with the public over their anxiety as we come closer to the deadline for the implementation of this policy. A very worrisome part is the cumbersome steps that have to be taken to acquire the new driver’s licence. It entails filling the accreditation identification on the web page, paying to a bank, visiting the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) for signature on the form, driving tests at the VIO’s office, passing which you go to the FRSC office for physical capture. If you pass you get a temporary licence for 15 to 30 days then you visit the VIO’s office to collect the new licence.


Many have described this rigmarole as an elaborate script for the corrupt enrichment of civil servants working in these government departments without any assurance that we will not be back to square one. There is obviously too much confusion standing in the way of this otherwise laudable idea. 

The legislative and executive arms of government are not on the same page. While the federal government has thrown its weight behind the FRSC, the House of Reps is flowing with public sentiments. There is a need for a well-publicised public hearing on this issue after the FRSC has convinced the House and Senate of its legal entitlement to embark on it.

We are in support of any measure that will result in greater sanity on our roads and the promotion of the safety of all road users and their vehicles. 

The FRSC and its apologists insist that tying vehicle plate numbers to their owners rather than vehicles as currently practised will help in apprehending traffic offences and safeguard vehicles from thieves. According to them it will help in strengthening the process of identification of individuals and prevent terrorism.


However, the fears expressed by the public and the lawmakers have to be addressed. There is a need for the authorities to find ways of creating public acceptance of this scheme. The public will accept it if it is convinced it s not just another way of imposing hardship on people for the selfish gain of public servants.

Source: Vanguard News

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