HOR Directs Investigation On Drivers Licence Issuance

The House of Representatives has directed an investigation into operational issues related to driver’s license issuance, revenue generation and usage by the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC.

This followed a motion by Chairman of the House Committee on Climate Change, Victor Ogene, calling for accountability of revenue generated from the issuance of driver licence by the agency.

In his lead debate, the lawmaker noted that the approving signature on a driver’s license typically comes from a designated officer at the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, MVAA, in the state where the license application originated, as well as learner’s permit for driving a motor vehicle is first issued at a prescribed fee by the MVAA in the relevant state before the release of a driver’s license.

He argued that, “the FRSC operates a Very Important Person (VIP) Center, ostensibly for the renewal of a driver’s license, but which is reportedly being used for issuing fresh driver’s licenses that are not preceded with a learner’s permit.”

The lawmaker also recalled that the Joint Tax Board (JTB) reviewed the fees payable for a five year and three years driver’s license to N21,000 and N15,000, for a motor vehicle, N11,000 and N7,000, for a motorcycle or tricycle since November 1, 2024.

“The FRSC is alleged to use its Information Processing Centre (IPC) for warehousing data
for driver’s licenses and manipulating it by sidelining and shortchanging the State Boards of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in the collection and usage of fees for processing driver’s licenses,” he said among other allegations.

He said it was disturbing that the processing of drivers’ licenses is unexplainably being delayed for upwards of two to three years after the biometric data capturing of applicants, and that “the huge debts the FRSC owes Galaxy Backbone Ltd. and other system consultants, who are the network providers and maintainers of the biometrics data capturing system, are responsible for the system slowdown and the resultant long delay in the issuance of drivers’ licenses.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji