BY CHRIS OCHAYI
ABUJA — In a bid to develop a new database on drivers’ licences that would conform with international standards, the Federal Government has concluded plans to commence upgrading of all categories of drivers’ licences issued by the authorities across the country.

The new move, aimed at restoring sanity to the system, would also afford the authorities to flush out the avalanche of fake drivers’ licences currently in circulation.

Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC, Mr. Nseobong Akpabio, who stated this during an interview with Vanguard, said the Corps Marshal of FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, would soon unfold the total package of the project.

He said the project would help the nation to build a history of all categories of people driving vehicles in the country.
Mr. Akpabio, who decried the situation where some applicants would engage the services of touts to obtain drivers’ licences for them, assured that with this upgrading project, that nonsense will stop.

He said: “If you don’t go to their office, you are patronizing touts; I don’t expect informed people to patronize touts. It is not applicable to only commercial drivers alone. The upgrading exercise will cut across all categories of licences issued so far in this country.

“It is to enable everybody key into the new project. For instance, most people feel, maybe, because of time factor, you don’t want to go and wait for the testing, you don’t want to go for the physical capture, you can just dash money to somebody to go to business centre and give you a fake licence, and that must stop.

“That is the process of upgrading drivers’ licence to meet the international standard. You know, before the FRSC takes up the issuing of licences in line with the Establishment Act, some states in those days, in the early 80s, before we took over, you can get these booklets of drivers’ license; you can get about two, three to six.”

“When the upgrading fully commences, the applicants are going to obtain drivers’ licences that would be processed by the Board of Internal Revenue, the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC and the VIO.

“You will make payment to the Board of Internal Revenue and the license will be produced by the FRSC. Most of the commercials drivers mostly graduated from bus conductors to become drivers. And because most of them did not go through the normal process of driving schools, they will prefer to go through the back door to get drivers’ licences.

“We want to stop all those nonsense. The whole package like the Corps Marshal mentioned will be unfolded very soon. Any applicant, who does not obtain official receipt and go to the FRSC for physical capture, will get a fake license.

“The project is out to create history of drivers, if you use your drivers’ licence to go and get a job, maybe in a bank or other public establishment as a drive, maybe after about two to three years, you get another job opportunity and you want to resign, the next place you are going, may not get good history of you.

“But if you are somebody who obtains driver licence through the normal channel after the due payment, due testing and physical capture that has history. The history is been built up there in the database.

“Where did you get the licence, how many renewals? Or your address you gave when the license was obtained, would be there and that will enable people to know more about you. But if you use fake licenses to get a job, there is no where you will get the history of license obtained through the back door.”