Sanitising Number Plates Registration For National Security

Sanitising Number Plates Registration For National Security

All over the world, vehicle number plates are the legal and official means of vehicle identification and verification.

This is why all new vehicles be they private or commercial, are required by law to register their vehicle particulars and acquire relevant number plates.

These number plates which are usually accompanied by vehicle licenses for operation are renewable annually to verify ownership identities and check the road worthiness of such automobiles.

One major significance of this vehicular policy in Nigeria is to preserve national security and track incidences of stolen vehicles and, or their use for criminal activities.

In addition, vehicle licenses registration and number plate procurements are veritable sources of immense revenue to government.

Leading the charge in the responsibility of enforcing this ordinance are the Federal Road Safety Commission FRSC, the Vehicles Inspection Officers VIOs as well as the Police on patrol and other state and local government revenue officials.

There is no doubt that this life saving government policy, has gone a long way in helping the different security agencies in tracking down and possibly apprehending miscreants whose stock in trade is using vehicles as instruments of criminality.

In order to ensure effective control and monitoring, vehicle registration and licensing are done under the supervision of the Federal Road Safety Commission through a centralized national data base.

Unfortunately, as laudable as the policy of vehicle registration and licensing has been, and which has gone a long way in ensuring the recovery of stolen vehicles, it appears to be a one sided ordinance in which only the masses and less privileged members of the motoring public are liable to strict compliance.

For instance, a cursory look at the Nigerian motoring public, simply reveals that highly placed government officials and public office holders are apparently immuned to the strict adherence to this same law and policy.

Otherwise, there is no explanation as to why today, it is a common sight to see convoys of government vehicles freely plying the highways with reckless abandon with unnumbered vehicles and by implication unregistered vehicles, and flagrantly abusing traffic rules and regulations at will.

This classical demonstration of bad example without exception cuts across all strata of the top echelon of governmental officials.

And because it is said that children learn by example, political parties at different levels and some private individuals now see it as a new normal to print only the names or emblems of their political parties, traditional titles and nicknames on the number plates and move freely with audacious exuberance of being above the law.

Most disturbing on the parts of the police and other law enforcement agencies, when such unnumbered and unregistered vehicles are stolen, or used for crimes, they would be the first to receive complaints, and when the said vehicles are not recovered because there are no records of their registration, the officers are labeled as unproductive.

Certainly, for a country that so desires revenue in the face of unprecedented conflicting development demands, it will remain unfair for the well to do in the society to continue to evade vital taxes and levies as vehicles registration and licensing fees.

No doubt, there are rooms for the wealthy to customise their vehicle particulars either using their names, traditional titles or special codes; these, ought to be officially done with the relevant authorities in order to have their records on the national data base for ease of reference when such vehicles go missing.

Indeed, for a country currently facing unbearable hardships, high insecurity occasioned by hunger and deprivation, all relevant government agencies must ensure that a sauce for the goose, is necessarily a sauce for the gander.

By Dr. Musa Abdullahi, Edited By Grace Namiji