Posted by By Moses Ebosele,Transport Reporter on
AS from tomorrow, prospective applicants are to be physically present before a driver's licence can be issued nationwide....
AS from tomorrow, prospective applicants are to be physically present before a driver's licence can be issued nationwide.
The scheme, earlier scheduled to begin March 1, 2006 was postponed to give room for more enlightenment and establishment of more centres.
The decision to phase out issuance of driver's licence by proxy, according to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), was taken in conjunction with the Joint Tax Board (JTB) "to eliminate the problem associated with the scanning option which is largely in use in all the information processing centres".
The scanning option is a system of production whereby information on the applicant is obtained from the completed application form and scanned into the computer system before production of the licence.
Under this arrangement, the applicant does not need to be physically present before the licence is produced. The "Physical capture option" requires the presence of the applicant physically, for his biometrics to be produced.
Information obtained by The Guardian revealed that since inception of the Enhanced National Driver's Licence Scheme (ENDL) in 1990, the FRSC has processed about 3,389, 129 units of licences.
The component of the scheme was launched as a single computerised driver's licence featuring information on the holder with personalised numbering and security features to forestall forgery.
It has a uniform grouping system ranging from "A" to "J" for different categories of vehicle operators.
The scheme was initially centralised in Lagos. It was later decentralised into other parts of the country in1995 with the establishment of processing centres in Enugu, Jos and Kaduna to process forms for groups of states under them.
The decentralisation was later expanded to the states in 1997. This involved having processing centres in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
FRSC's Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration, Mr. Fredrick Osinuwa, explained recently that the scheme which took off in April 1997 now had 62 work stations operated all over the 36 states and FCT.
"The expansion to the grassroots still continues with establishment of more work stations in collaboration with interested state governments. The ultimate objective is to have a work station in each council," Osinuwa said.
He added that as at February this year, about 70 centres nationwide had been equipped to meet the requirements of prospective driver's licence applicants under the "physical capture" scheme.
He said the new development would reduce procurement time and eliminate middlemen or touts.
Meanwhile, the Adamawa State command of the FRSC said it was disturbed by the continued violation of the restricted use of sirens by members of the public, including government officials.
The state Sector Commander, Kayode Olagunju, said the development was contrary to section 11 sub section 3 (1) of the FRSC Act Cap 141, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.