New driving licence: FRSC insists on August 2012

The Federal Road Safety Corps said on Wednesday that all drivers must migrate to the new driving licence by August 31, 2012.It ruled out any compensation or special rate for those whose licences would not have expired by that date.But transport operators under the aegis of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria said they had scheduled a meeting for Friday to enable them to review the situation and come up with a position.The Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, who disclosed the deadline, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, said the one year grace period was enough for every driver to obtain the new licence.He said the issuance of the document and the new number plate, which commenced in August this year, was going on smoothly in all states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, except Lagos.All renewal has to end by August 2012; everyone has to change over to the new system. This is to put an end to the parallel production of the licence, he said.President Goodluck Jonathan had in September inaugurated the new National Drivers Licence and number plates in Abuja, which he said would assist the country in acquiring credible data on drivers and vehicles in an effort to improve public security.The Corps Marshal and Chief Executive Officer, FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, had said Nigeria was losing over N15bn annually to vendors of fake vehicle licences.He explained that the introduction of a new driving licence, with new security features, would make it difficult for fraudsters to continue to forge the document.Chidoka also said the new scheme would ensure the standardisation of the driving licence, reduce the processing time and guarantee a one-stop-shop for the processing of applications as well as physical capture of applicants biometric system.He said the new driving licence would cost N6,000; while vehicle owners would pay N15,000 for a new number plate, each of which could be processed online or manually.He said the issuance process would remain a tripartite arrangement involving the Board of Internal Revenue of the state for collection of revenue; the Vehicle Inspection Office for driver testing and vehicle inspection; and the FRSC for the design and production of the licence and number plate as well as the management of the database.
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