Forewarned is forearmed. Let us not be taken by surprise, i am glad i saw this and for some of us who still drive with old number plates, we are already in violation without knowing it.

Nigerians have condemned the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for reintroducing the suspended enforcement of the new vehicle number plates on motorists without adequate information.

Since last September, some motorists, particularly in Abuja and other major cities across the country, have complained about being accosted by FRSC officials and being issued fines for vehicle number plate violation.

Some of those who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES described FRSC’s action as an “ambush and an attempt to extort from innocent Nigerians.”

The motorists claimed although Nigerians were aware of the initial directive in 2011 for old number plates to be replaced with new ones, after the implementation and enforcement of the directive was suspended in 2014 following the intervention of the National Assembly, they were not informed when a new order was issued.

Motorists’ complaints

A senior official in Akwa Ibom Liaison Office, Abuja, Uduakabasi Udo, said she was accosted by FRSC officials on September 14 and asked to pay N3,000 fine for not using the new plate number.

“When FRSC officials stopped me around the Corps’ former headquarters in Zone 7, Abuja and requested for my vehicle papers, I was shocked when, after seeing my documents were complete, they still booked me for using an old vehicle number plate,” Mrs Udo told PREMIUM TIMES.

“When I insisted on seeing the document that authorised the Corps to restart the enforcement of the earlier suspended directive, I was the more surprised when the official took me to his office to show me a memo on the subject issued the previous day from the Corps headquarters,” she said.

Despite her strong protests, Mrs Udo said she was issued papers for the fine of N3,000.

She said she was asked to approach any FRSC office to get a new number plate, which will attract additional cost of between N12,500 and N15,000.

For Philemon Adjekuko, he said he was accosted close to the National Hospital in Abuja by some FRSC officials at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

“After going through my license and vehicle particulars, despite finding them up-to-date they still booked me and issued me a fine for using an old plate number,” Mr Adjekuko told PREMIUM TIMES.

“The fine struck me like a bolt, because I had no idea what that was all about. The official who booked me said the FRSC had just gotten a court judgment in their favour and were only resuming the enforcement earlier suspended,” he said.

Mr Adjekuko said “assuming FRSC actually got such a judgment, does it not owe Nigerians a duty to make a public announcement in all the media before the commencement of the enforcement?

“What FRSC is doing is morally wrong, even if legal. Nigerians have a right to know an issue before a court of law has been resolved one way or the other.

“Besides, equity demands Nigerians should be given adequate time to obtain the new plate number in the light of the so-called judgment. Equity demands the best way to go about it will be to phase out the old number plates by attrition,” he said.

For instance, Mr Adjekuko said FRSC would have asked all those going to renew their vehicle particulars to obtain the new number plates alongside. That way, he said, people can prepare their minds towards undertaking such financial burden.

“What FRSC is doing on the roads amounts to an ambush, with the aim of extorting the people. Nigerians are already suffering from a high level of distress. To add to that distress by impounding their vehicles or confiscating their licenses and imposing a fine using old number plates is against the principles of natural justice,” he noted.

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the FRSC official website, no information on the judgment was published to notify the public of the latest development.

A lawyer weighs in

A Lagos-based public interest lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, who was one of the few Nigerians who challenged the introduction of the new number plate by FRSC in 2012, agrees with Mr Adjekuko that the Corps owes Nigerians a duty to publicise its latest court order on all media platforms before embarking on enforcement.

Besides, Mr Ogunye faulted the FRSC for abdicating its mandate and responsibility to Nigerians in pursuit of the revenue generating agencies’ role.

“If the FRSC informed Nigerians of the suspension of enforcement of the directive, now that it claims it has a fresh court order for them to recommence the enforcement of the earlier directive, I believe they have a duty to inform Nigerians through publications of the judgment in all media platforms,” Mr Ogunye said.

He said FRSC was not established as a revenue generating agency, but to ensure safety on federal highways.

He said what the FRSC is doing is not only enforcing indiscriminately its rules even on state roads in violation of the federal principle, but also elevating revenue generation above its core mandate.

Origin of the problem

The new vehicle number plate and driver’s licence were introduced by the FRSC in 2011.

Consequently, the Corps announced the old number plates would be phased out by August 2012.

However, the enforcement of the directive was mired in controversy as some Nigerians took the matter to court.

By November 2012, the FRSC was compelled to extend the deadline by a year, with a warning using old number plates would not only become illegal by September 30, 2013, but also an offence effective October 1, 2013.

Regardless, on September 30, 2013, Ogedi Ogu, filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Lagos through Emmanuel Ofoegbu, a rights activist, to challenge the FRSC’ powers to enforce its directive on the old number plates.

The suit had rejected a July 15, 2013 ruling by an Anambra State High Court in Awka authorising the FRSC to go-ahead with the enforcement of the directive, as it was ‘legal and constitutional.’

In his ruling, Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Lagos, held that it was unlawful for FRSC to impose the new number plates on Nigerians, where there was no existing law permitting.

Following the court’s ruling, FRSC’s plan to commence enforcement of the new number plates by October 1, 2013 was halted.

Although the Corps resolved to file an appeal, it however announced it was determined to go ahead with the enforcement of the new drivers’ licence and number plates come August 1, 2014 on the basis of the Anambra court ruling

But, following the insistence by concerned lawyers that the federal high court’s order restraining the FRSC was still valid and subsisting, the FRSC officially announced the suspension of the enforcement notice on new number plates in 2014.

FRSC Speaks

When contacted, FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, told PREMIUM TIMES enforcing the new number plate directive by the Corps was official.

Mr Kazeem did not address why the Corps did not publicise the latest court order permitting it to commence enforcement of the suspended directive.

We gave room for people to purchase new number plates when renewing their vehicle licence, but people ignored and continued to use the old plates,” he said.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/293714-new-vehicle-number-plates-nigerians-accuse-frsc-of-ambush-extortion.html

robbery!

Hehehe swissobed your nissan has old plates.... Reduce 50k for new plates!!

Sneak attack.

Planning to buy a car? VIN Checks and customized vehicle history reports in signature.

It Is one terrorists IPOB man that introduced this dubious plate number when he was FRSC boss.

Election money loading

This is what happens when a contry has no direction. A person will just wake up and do what he wants against his society and public interest. In the midst of all the economic hardship, fuel cost and high cost of vehicle maintenance FRSC will forget their core function to inflict more pains on Nigerians and Mr President will look at it and from the comfort his office provides will not feel any pain for his people. What a time we live in!

Of course it is a welcome development.. The old number plates are not on their database.
Can't they have another alternative instead of purchasing another plate number because masses are not smiling

yarimo:
It Is one terrorists IPOB man that introduced this dubious plate number when he was FRSC boss.

Can we leave bigotry out of this please?

Make em catch me I dey wait

I wonder why FRSC is so wicked!! they love to make life difficult for Nigerians....always one thing or the other!!

Buhari and APC always milking Nigerians and siphoning the money. Vote against Buhari

Under this Buhari presidency, anything
government does is aimed at collecting
money from the common man & making
him poorer & poorer.

Yet, ordinary 3Ok, they are complaining &
appealing to labor to reconsider.

Buhari is just a mistake.
Our mumu don kill us...

yarimo:
It Is one terrorists IPOB man that introduced this dubious plate number when he was FRSC boss.

And na one skull miner Afonja na him sigh d document

ok

adanny01:
Forewarned is forearmed. Let us not be taken by surprise, i am glad i saw this and for some of us who still drive with old number plates, we are already in violation without knowing it.

na to scam Nigerians these agencies sabi

These people nor dey hear

remember we are in ember months
Dont let them catch u.
the other day i saw both frsc and VIO.
chai i rem say men two things don expire..
Just like a car thief in a hurry to escape
i had to accelerate and turbo
the gates of hell was let loose
i ended up with bad alignment couple of days later
doing need for speed on naija pot holes is vewi stupid.

FRSC Target before december 25: Money must be paid.

APC is hell on hell
nothing close to heaven on earth

hahahahahaha

And somebody is fighting corruption while this is going on... He must go Back to Daura 2019 jor..

yarimo:
It Is one terrorists IPOB man that introduced this dubious plate number when he was FRSC boss.

oya oduduwa, ,,migrate back to the sky

This is not right
FRSC will use this as an opportunity to extort innocent Nigerian.
Why can't they make this information public.
And how come it is not all over the media.
This is bad

How do the new number plates look like?

We will reject this in its entirety.
FRSC has no right to waleh Nigerians.
If they got a court judgement we will get a Supreme Court Order.
APC shall not continue to make Nigerians suffer for their failures

The same thing happened to me in Minna here. After checking my particulars and driver's license, they didn't return my license because I was using old plate number. They booked me N3000 any my license is still with them.
Very useless people

Buhari have ordered them to generate money for his election campaign. We all know that FRSC is under Rotimi Amaechi's ministry of transport, who is also the DG of Buhari's election campaign. Of course he can no longer use Rivers people's money to fund the sycophantic campaign as he no longer has access to it, so they have resolved to force nigerians to pay for buhari's re-election through their nose.

This is the more reason why booharii and thief Amaechi must be kicked out.

kolafolabi:
Of course it is a welcome development.. The old number plates are not on their database.
Can't they have another alternative instead of purchasing another plate number because masses are not smiling

Read the bolded again and think about what you said!

Why am I not surprised at this news?

I've come to realise that a typical Nigerian in an exalted position of authority likes to inflict pain and anguish on his fellow country men and women.

It's a default trait. Take time to study previous administrations, it's all the same - inflicting pain and suffering on the common man, not caring how he feels.

In short, a typical Nigerian lacks empathy and sympathy for his fellow man.

EOD.

FRSC is among the worst government agency I have seen. They don't care about road safety again rather they are interested in extortion. FRSC should be scraped and let police do their work.