11th May, 2012
The Lagos State Government will roll out the new National driver’s licence by next month, says Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa on Thursday.
Opeifa, at a press briefing at the Government Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, said the licence, which will be issued as from 18 June, 2012, is a tripartite arrangement between the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, MVAA, the Vehicle Inspection Office, VIO and the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC.
“While the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, which is the first contact, is in charge of processing the information of the applicants, the Vehicle Inspection Office conducts proficiency tests on the applicants and only those who are cleared and certified fit to drive after the tests are referred to the Federal Road Safety Commission for physical photo capture and bio-metrics.
“The driver’s licence which is printed by the FRSC will be issued to the applicants by the MVAA at the various designated driver’s licence centres in the state,” Opeifa explained.
According to him, “we wish to state that any other process aside from the one highlighted above is not genuine as the direct physical capture of bio-data has made the process and obtainance of driver’s licence through proxies, becomes a thing of the past.
“In the last one year, even though the physical capture and issuance of driver’s licence have been suspended by the FRSC, a total of 45, 644 applicants have registered with the ministry for the new driver’s licence.”
The commissioner said the state government had concluded arrangements to kick start the new unified licencing scheme (UDLS).
“The scheme will soon commence operation in the state and motorists will once again have the opportunity of driving with a valid driver’s licence,” he stated.
On the auto inspector, Opeifa said since its commencement, the MVAA, VIOs, LASTMA and other enforcement officers had been availed the opportunity to instantly access vehicle data/details for effective enforcement and compliance delivery.
Opeifa also disclosed that in the last 12 months, the ministry had commenced the process for the documentation of commuter buses, owners and drivers for the purpose of safety and security.
He said the Park Monitoring Committee of the state through its unscheduled and continuous visit to the parks and garages had ensured that parks and garages were safe, secure for transportation activities and free of illegal sale and usage of alcoholic drinks and illicit drugs during the year under review.
“It has also ensured that touting in various parks and garages is reduced to the barest minimum and that peace reigned in all the parks in the state. In addition, the ministry often collates and disseminates security reports in the various parks/garages to the law enforcement agents in order to forestall the breakdown of law and order in the parks.
“During the period under review, we recorded two unacceptable incidences which were immediately put under control at Idumota and Lawanson motor parks. Similarly, the ministry ensured that sanitation laws in the parks and garages are strictly adhered to and appropriate sanctions were meted out on those parks and garages which ran foul of the sanitation laws,” he added.
On motor vehicle/motorcycle database, the commissioner disclosed that 259, 473 new vehicles and 73, 411 motorcycles were registered in 2011, adding that 759, 349 vehicles and 22, 196 motorcycles had their documents renewed in the same year.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga