FRSC, VIO deny commercial drivers new number plates

August 29, 2013 by Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

FRSC men at work
| credits: File copy

There is palpable sense of anxiety among many vehicle owners in the Federal Capital Territory as the deadline set by the Federal Road Safety Corps for motorists to obtain the new number plate comes close.

The deadline is September 30, 2013.

Although the FRSC says it has set up plants in Gwagwalada, FCT and Awka in Anambra State to produce enough number plates, the corps  has not met the demands even as motorists complain about the non-availability of the product.

Commercial bus drivers are particularly apprehensive over the decision of the FRSC and the FCT Directorate of Road Transport,  otherwise known as Vehicle Inspection Officers, not to allow them to apply for the new number plates.

Though a sizable number of vehicles are already sporting the new plates, many others are still using the old ones in the city.

Findings indicate that many motorists,  especially commercial taxi cab drivers,  are worried over the deadline,  which they feel will compel them to pay about N32,000 for the number plates.

The FRSC  Corps Marshal,  Osita Chidoka, says the official rate for the new number plate is N15,000, while replacement is N10,000.

According to him,  the cost of the new driver’s licence is N6,000 while that of motorcycle operators is N3,000. The Standard Motor Vehicle number plate, costs N15,000; Articulated Vehicles, N20,000; Out of Series, N40,000; Fancy, N15,000; and Dealer, N30,000. However, licensing officials of the FRSC and the VIO charge far above the official rate.

Further checks show that the new transport policy of the FCT Administration, which bars commercial buses from operating in Abuja,  has been surreptitiously extended to ‘block’ the commercial drivers from obtaining the new number plates. This, a motorist says, is to bar commercial drivers from operating on the fringes of the city.

Our correspondent gathered that many commercial drivers that approached the FRSC and the VIO for the new number plates were not attended to. A bus driver, Daniel Akepo, claims he made several unsucessful attempts to obtain the new number plates.

According to him, even the licensing officials advised him to go to nearby Nasarawa or Niger State for the plates.

He says, “I used to operate in Abuja before the new transport policy barred us from plying the routes within the city. My bus was initially registered in FCT and to avoid the last-minute rush, I visited the VIO office at Mabushi District to obtain the new number plates. But the officer I met told me to go to either Nasarawa or Niger State. He did not even explain anything to me. He spoke as if I had an issue with him. So, I left.”

Another commercial bus driver, simply identified as Samson, notes that the new policy forced him to relocate to Suleja, Niger State from his Karu, Abuja residence.

He adds, “It did not occur to me that there was a kind of conspiracy against bus drivers when my application was turned down, but I have since obtained a Niger State number plate. So, the deadline on the number plate does not give me any anxiety because I’m free from VIO and FRSC harassment.”

The Director of VIO, Col. Wilson Alade (retd.),  could not be reached for comment on his telephone. He also did not respond to a text message sent to him.

But a VIO officer, on condition of anonymity, confirms that there is a standing order not to issue the number plates to the commercial drivers. According to him, it is part of the strategies to bar recalcitrant unauthorised bus drivers from plying the city.

“It took serious determination for the FCT Administration to sanitise the public transport system in Abuja by banning the commercial bus drivers called Araba. “However,  some of them, who are recalcitrant still ply the city fringe. So, to ensure full compliance, the VIO prevented them from obtaining the new number plate so that those stubborn ones can be fully barred from operating once the deadline for the old number expires,” he notes.

Apart from the angst of vehicle owners over the inability of the agencies to meet number plate demands, the rivalry between FRSC and VIO officials has also marred the smooth transition from the old system to the new one. For instance, VIO officials almost engaged their FRSC counterparts in a free-for-all weeks ago over bottlenecks reportedly put up by the latter for the exercise.

It was gathered that the disagreement between the officials, over the style and delay of vehicle processing by the FRSC officials posted to the VIO office in Mabushi District, was later resolved by Alade.

However, this was not before the premises occupied by the FRSC officials was locked up by angry VIO officers, who claimed that they were being frustrated by the FRSC personnel.

The angry VIO officers complained that their FRSC counterparts had intruded into their turf and was using their influence in the Presidency to bulldoze their way in vehicle registration matters, which they said was purely a state government affair.

The FRSC Public Education Officer, Julius Agwu,  could not be reached for comment as he did not respond to calls and text messages to his telephone.

 

LINK: http://www.punchng.com/feature/nations-capital/frsc-vio-deny-commercial-drivers-new-number-plates/

 

SOURCE: PUNCH