The Senate yesterday took up issues with the new scheme of driver's licence and vehicle number plates by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). It advised FRSC to suspend the implementation of the scheme.

The lawmakers mandated its Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs to conduct a public hearing on it.

This followed a motion by Senator Dahiru Kuta (Niger East) and 19 others entitled: “Hardship occasioned by the new number plates and driver's licence scheme of the FRSC.”

Senator Kuta urged the Senate to note that the FRSC is a creation of the Federal Road Safety Corps (Establishment, etc.) Act Cap F19, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

He said the FRSC enabling Act empowers the Corps to, primarily, prevent and minimise accidents on the highways and clear obstructions on any part of the highways and educate drivers, motorists and other members of the public on the proper use of highways.

He said the corps was not established principally as a revenue generating agency for the states or Federal Government.

Kuta observed that the FRSC in recent times had embarked on frequent and arbitrary introduction and re-introduction of vehicle number plates and driver's licences.

He also observes that the new drivers licence which it launched last year is now issued for N6,000 up from N3000 while the new number plates has suddenly jumped from its original N5,000 price to N15,000 with those of trucks and other categories of vehicles put at between N20,000 to N40,000.

The FRSC, he said, will ultimately be generating N2 billion yearly as its own share of the new scheme.

Kuta said that he is aware that the agency has adduced, among other reasons for the new price regime, the need to enhance the integrity of drivers and the creation of a database that will check terrorism.

“The administrative cost of the project is also one of the reasons proffered as being responsible for the high cost of the licences and number plates,” Kuta added.

The lawmaker said Nigerians are financially impoverished and therefore find the amount exploitative, prohibitive and insensitive, for a population that is already facing the challenges of a harsh economic condition.”

He said that he is also worried that the August 31 deadline issued by the agency for the enforcement of the new scheme is not feasible because the current demand for vehicle licence surpasses supply and thereby subjecting applicants to wait for as long as three months after payment before receiving number plates.

Senate President David Mark wondered what was wrong with the existing number plate to warrant its change.

Mark said: “The same road safety introduced this existing number plates, what is wrong with it and why are they changing it.

“Why has revenue generation become the main function. “Nobody says they are not doing anything but the idea of generating revenue should not be their major focus.”

The FRSC criticised the Senate's position on the new vehicle number and driver's licence acquisition process. It absolved itself of any blame over the implementation of the new procedure.

A former member of the board, who preferred not to be named, observed that the deliberation on the issue by the Senate was not originally listed. He said the matter suddenly came up.

“Senator Kuta, who raised the motion visited the FRSC on November 22, last year and referred to FRSC as one of the fastest growing agencies. “It should be noted that FRSC can not stop states from selling number plates or process driver's licence. Why castigating FRSC
when it was the states that fixed prices?

Why calling for public hearing after castigating FRSC? Is that not setting the public against FRSC,” he queried.

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