COVID-19 Pandemic: Corps Marshal Orders Immediate Shutdown Of Driver’s License Capture Centres Nationwide

Following the lockdown directive by His Excellency,
President Muhammadu Buhari on the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sun 29 March, 2020, the
Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has ordered the
shutdown of Driver’s License database in Abuja with immediate effect, in line
with the President’s directives to lockdown. Expectedly, the Drivers License
Centres will not be able to process licenses for applicants nationwide.
However, applicants can go via the By-pass mode to process for the license to
be delivered after the lockdown period.

In a press release by the Corps Public Education Officer,
Bisi Kazeem, he revealed that the shutdown is aimed at sustaining existing
endeavours already in place by the Federal Government to curtail further spread
of the menace. He added that the Corps Marshal had in the wake of the pandemic
directed all DLCs to maintain maximum hygiene through provision of adequate
water, soap and alcohol-based sanitizers at the Centres.

You would recall that the Corps Marshal had earlier advised
applicants to avoid physical capture at this critical moment when the world is
battling a common enemy (COVID-19), and explore the BY-PASS option which is the
online processing of the National Drivers License without physical presence of
the applicant at the DLCs.  However, the
driver’s license will only be collected upon resumption after the lockdown.

It is therefore to be noted that the By-Pass option is
applicable only to applicants who intend to renew their licenses not fresh
applicants. This is hereby reiterated as part of the Corps’ concerted efforts
to curb the spread of the global health challenge.

Accordingly, Kazeem added that the closure of the DLCs will
not affect the Operational formations of the Corps as Operatives have been
deployed to render required essential services in collaboration with other
security and intelligence agencies at all levels to enforce both the
Presidential and State Government’s directives on restriction of movement and
sit at home among others.

To this end, the Corps Marshal has notified the Chairman and
Secretary of the Joint Tax Board about the effect of the temporary shutdown of
the DLCs nationwide.