Why Senate suspended FRSC New Number Plates, Licence

Several reasons were given by the Senate that led to barring of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) from further issuance of new number plates. Top on the list of argument was that the agency has must wash its hands off issuing licenses and vehicle number plates. Mr. Osita Chidoka, FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, had before the commencement of the scheme stated that the agency was disturbed by the growing number of syndicates engaged in the illegal production of driving licenses and other vehicle documents. He alleged that Nigeria was currently losing over N15bn annually to vendors of fake vehicle licences, which prompted the introduction a new driving licence, with new security features, to make it difficult for fraudsters to continue to forge the document. Chidika’s claims however were not convincing enough to Senator Dahiru Kuta and 19 others who led motion on the floor of the Senate abrogating further issuance of new number plate and licenses by the Commission. Senators during the consideration of the motion on Wednesday described the new vehicle number plates issued by the commission as illegal noting that act that set up FRSC does not empower it to issue number plates. Moving the motion, Kuta decried that FRSC has deserted it primary mandates of ensuring safety on Nigeria roads by turning itself into revenue generating agency. Kuta said, “The commission was not established principally as a revenue generating agency for states or Federal Government, but the commission in recent times has embarked on frequent and arbitrary introduction and reintroduction of vehicle number plates and driver’s licenses. “The new driver’s license which the commission launched in 2011 is now issued for N6000 as against the N3000 while the new number plates have suddenly jumped from N5000 to an astronomical N15, 000. “The exorbitant cost of the driver’s license and vehicle plate number is meant to financially improvised Nigerians because the amount is exploitative, prohibitive and insensitive for a population that is already facing challenges of harsh economic conditions.” Senator Smart Adeyemi, also described the new number plates as too exorbitant for motorists and illegal. He 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 license is against the law. The cost of procuring number plates is too high, it used to be N3000 but I am surprise when it went to N15000.” Senator Barnabas Gemade while adding to the debate charged the commission to concentrate more on protecting Nigerian road users instead of diving into revenue generation. According to him, “This issue is not only controversial; it has enlisted struggles between FRSC and VIO. FRSC at this moment are not executing their responsibilities. Even the drivers of the commission do not obey traffic rules, but they are now diving into revenue generation.” 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 warned, “Let them not impose additional expenditure on the people and their primary objective was not to generate revenue.”