issuing new number plates, license
On February 29, 2012 · In News
By Inalegwu Shaibu & Emma Ovuakporie
ABUJA—Senate has ordered the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, to stop issuing new vehicle number plates and drivers’ licence.
This came as Chairman, Rules and Business of the House, Sam Tsokwa, disclosed that investigation had uncovered a syndicate which had flooded the country with fake number plates. He, however, did not name the people behind the racket.
The Senate order came on adoption of a motion on new numbers and drivers’ licence sponsored by Senator Dahiru Kuta and 19 others, who condemned the indiscriminate fees charged by FRSC on the new number plates and drivers’ licence.
Senators, during the consideration of the motion, described the new vehicle number plates issued by the commission as illegal, noting that the Act that set up FRSC did not empower it to issue number plates.
Moving the motion, Kuta lamented that FRSC had abandoned its primary mandates of ensuring safety on Nigeria roads by turning itself into a revenue-generating agency.
Kuta said: “The commission was not established principally as a revenue-generating agency for states or Federal governments. But the commission, in recent times, has embarked on frequent and arbitrary introduction and reintroduction of vehicle number plates and driver’s licence.
“The new driver’s licence, which the commission launched in 2011, is now issued for N6,000 as against N3,000, while the new number plates have suddenly jumped from N5,000 to an astronomical N15,000.
“The exorbitant cost of the driver’s licence and vehicle plate number is meant to financially impoverish Nigerians because the amount is exploitative, prohibitive and insensitive for a population that is already facing challenges of harsh economic conditions.”
‘FRSC’s innocent’
However, a credible source, who does not want his name in print, told Vanguard, yesterday: “The issue was not listed as part of deliberation in the Senate. It suddenly came up. Senator Dahiru Kuta, who raised the motion, visited FRSC on November 22, 2011 and said FRSC was one of the fastest-growing agencies he had ever seen.
“It should be noted that FRSC can neither stop states from selling plates nor processing drivers’ licence. Why castigate FRSC when it was the states that fix prices? Furthermore, why call for public hearing after castigating FRSC? Is that not setting the public against FRSC?
‘FRSC abandoned mandate’
Senator Smart Adeyemi, PDP, Kogi State, said: “FRSC has abandoned its mandate. It was established to ensure safety on highways, but what the FRSC is trying to do now is to render other government agencies redundant.
“Going further to the point of managing the issuance of licence is against the law. The cost of procuring number plates is too high. It used to be N3,000. I was surprised when it went to N15,000.”
Senator Barnabas Gemade, said: “This issue is not only controversial, it has enlisted struggles between FRSC and Vehicle Inspection Officer, VIO.
“FRSC, at this moment, is not executing its responsibilities. Even the drivers of the commission do not obey traffic rules. Now they are delving into revenue generation.”
Additional burden on Nigerians— Mark
Senate President, David Mark, while ruling on the motion, said the new number plates by FRSC was an imposition of additional burden on Nigerians.
Mark said: “Let them not impose additional expenditure on the people and their primary objective was not to generate revenue.”
The new number plate was introduced in the last quarter of 2011 by FRSC, with a directive that old number plates be phased out in August 2012. FRSC also introduced a new driver’s licence.
The new number plates, launched by President Goodluck Jonathan last year is designed to build a data base of vehicles and help in strengthening security in the country.
However, responding to public outcry on account of cost and non-availability of the number plates from several quarters, the lower House, last year, froze the issuance of the number plates, pending investigation into the matter.
No record with VIO
Coming under matter of urgent national importance, Tsokwa said checks at the VIO revealed that there were no records of the issued number plates.
He said: “I have here plate numbers. I am not an official of VIO, FRSC or even a Special Marshall. This House resolved prophetically that the sale of this new plate numbers be put on hold until investigations were conducted.
“What I have today are fake plate numbers. Majority of numbers circulated in this country are fakes. It is either FRSC is producing and selling number plates without recourse to VIO or some individuals are producing and selling these number plates in concert with officials.
“This is a serious security problem. This is a serious security challenge.”
House Speaker, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, ordered that the matter be scheduled for today for further legislative action.
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