Politics
Is FRSC’s New Vehicle Plate Numbers, Drivers’ Licence Regime Necessary?
In the last couple of weeks, the Federal Road Safety Commission and the Federal Inland Revenue Service have stoutly defended the proposal for a new plate number and driver’s licence regime, they claim to be more customised and would help fight crime while racking in huge revenue to government coffers. Our staff writer, Calista Ezeaku and Photographer, Prince Dele Obinna went to the streets to speak with stakeholders. Their responses.
Chief Eugene Azuobi, Transporter/Cement Dealer.
It is not necessary. But I thank God for the effort the National Assembly is making to stop it. The plate number we are using now is okay. The driver’s licence we are using is also okay. So I don’t see the essence of changing from this one to another. Again, the money they pegged the new one is very exorbitant, some people cannot afford it. It is not everybody that has a car can afford the new plate number. So, it is not necessary at all. We should continue with the existing one.
Again, FRSC is not a revenue collector. So, they are not supposed to be changing plate numbers and licences every time, just to make money. So, they should leave the old one.
Mr George Nsien Samuel, Business man.
To me, it is very necessary. Government allowed FRSC to come up with the idea of changing the plate numbers and driver’s licence. They (government) accepted it, so why trying to stop it now? The Road Safety Corp Marshal, Osita Chidoka, took the new plate number to the president, he accepted it. It was televised.
He took it to the Senate president and the speaker of House of Representatives. They accepted it. When the FRSC started selling it, for instance, I have bought it. They want to stop it after allowing people to spend so much to acquire the two. So, the point is that the new plate numbers and driver’s licence are now in circulation, let it continue.
I agree that the cost of the new one is on the high side. I spent about N45,000 to get this new plate number when I bought my car. Of course, I had a plate number and I asked them (FRSC), if I could return the old plate number to them so that I could get the new one at a reduced price but it was not done that way. So, the cost is high but it is nice. I even like this new one more than the old one. The new one portrays the image of Nigeria more.
Prince Collins Chima, Driver.
For me, I will suggest that the old vehicles, already using the old plate numbers should continue with them. The new plate numbers should be for new vehicles coming into the country. It is of no use condemning the old plate numbers and making it mandatory that everybody should buy the new one. This is because if you look at the old and the new plate numbers, there is no difference, apart from the map of Nigeria on the new one.
Mr Emma Okoli, Printer.
Yes, I have heard of the FRSC’s proposal concerning the plate numbers and driver’s licence, and I feel that it’s just too exorbitant. So, I am thinking that the price for the new plate numbers should be N5,000.00, and anybody buying a plate number for a new car should pay higher while somebody who wants to renew an old one should pay less.
So, I’m not really against the new plate numbers because of the data involved. They said that they are going to customize it so that a plate number goes with the name of the car owner and I think that is okay. For security reasons and for ease of accessing data, it is okay. Although I doubt if that will be achievable in Nigeria because of the level of corruption and insincerity.So, that’s why I am afraid if it will work. We want to compare ourselves with countries abroad yes abroad it works, but in Nigeria, not everything works the way it is supposed to work. If they really want to keep a data base, they have to have another information base, where they can fall back on, assuming it gets lost in the system.
Mr Femi Kolawole, Seaman
This new plate number issue is a distraction to the country. The country had a plate number with five alphabets. After that, they introduced another new plate number with three alphabets. By the time those numbers finished, they went back to the old plate numbers again. Now, they have brought another new one. Why is the country coming up with different plate numbers all the time. So, I feel that this is no difference between the new and the old plate numbers. It’s a disturbance, it’s a stress. Somebody cannot be buying one plate number three times for one car. It is even a criminal act for one vehicle to have more than three plate numbers.
Mrs Emi Jameson, Civil Servant.
It’s not necessary. I don’t think that will solve our problem in Nigeria. We have a major problem, not that. So, there’s no need changing the plate numbers or driver’s licence. There had been several drivers’ licences. So, I don’t think the continuous change will solve any problem. It’s not necessary. It’s just to make the masses to spend. If not I don’t see any reason for that.
All the strategies they have been using to check crime, how many criminals have they tracked down. I don’t think a new plate number will help in checking crime. We’ve been hearing that but I don’t think that will be the solution to our problem. They should allow us to use the old ones we’ve been using. There is no need for a change. It’s not necessary.
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to reconvene for an emergency session tomorrow February 17, 2026, to deliberate on issues arising from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who described the electoral body’s announcement as one of “constitutional and national significance.”
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the statement, members of the Green Chamber were notified of the emergency sitting through an internal memorandum from the Speaker’s office.
The session is expected to focus on legislative matters connected to the newly released timetable, reflecting the House’s resolve to act promptly on issues affecting the nation’s democratic process.
Rep. Rotimi noted that all related businesses would be treated with urgency and urged lawmakers to prioritise attendance in view of the importance of the deliberations.
INEC had on Friday formally unveiled the comprehensive schedule for the 2027 polls, including timelines for party primaries slated for July to September 2026, as well as the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration in April 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing consultations and proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the controversy over the transmission of election results continues across the country, the Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), a pro democracy organisation in the country, has criticised the National Assembly for not giving express approval to real time transmission of elections results.
To this end, the group is calling on all civil society organisations in the country to mobilise and push for a better Electoral Reform in the country.
This was contained in a press statement titled, “Defence For Human Rights and Democracy Demands Real Time Election Transmission of Result”, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
The group described the refusal of compulsory real time transmission of result results by the Senate as undemocratic, adding that the situation will give room for election manipulation, rigging and voters apathy.
It said that the provision of mandatory real time transmission of election results would have significant improvement on the nation’s democracy.
According to the statement, “Since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, it is 27 years, so our Democracy has metamorphosed from being nascent and as such significant improvement should have been recorded.
“Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is really disappointed at the National Assembly, especially the upper chamber (Senate) for not approving ‘Real Time Electronic Transmission of Election Result’.
“This undemocratic act of theirs, if not tamed, will give room for election manipulation and rigging’”.
Signed by Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon on behalf of the organisation, the statement further said, “The Defence For Human Rights and Democracy unequivocally supports real time transmission of election result”, stressing that his group will resist any act by the National Assembly to undermine the nation’s democracy.
“DHRD,unequivocally supports ‘True Democracy’, which is Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“Therefore, anything that will crash the hope of Nigerians to Freely, Fairly and Transparently elect candidates of their choice in any given election should and will be vehemently resisted because good governance begins with leaders elected through credible process. By so doing, leaders have entered a social contract with the citizens to equitably manage their affairs and abundant resources”, the statement added.
It urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue in order to avoid civil unrest.
According to the DHRD, “To avoid civil unrest,voters apathy, election rigging and manipulation, rather to promote citizens participation, advancing our Democracy and entrenching free, fair, credible and acceptable electoral outcome, the National Assembly should amend the electoral act in a manner that will deepen our democracy and boost citizens confidence.
“On this note, The Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is calling on all other civil society organisations (CSOs) to mobilise, organise and push for a better electoral act amendment by the National Assembly”.
By: John Bibor