The House of Representatives has demanded accountability for revenue from issuing a driver’s licence.
Therefore, the House yesterday resolved to investigate operational issues related to driver’s license issuance, revenue generation, and usage within the last three years within the next four weeks.
This followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Afam Victor Ogene(LP, Anambra) at plenary when he noted the tripartite arrangement between the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the States Board of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) leading to the issuance or renewal of a driver’s license.
He also noted that the approving signature on a driver’s license typically comes from a designated officer at the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) in the state where the license application originated.
The Labour Party lawmaker said the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) in the relevant State first issues a learner’s permit for driving a motor vehicle at a prescribed fee before a driver’s license is released.
Ogene stated that the FRSC operates a Very Important Person (VIP) Centre, ostensibly for renewing a driver’s license, but is reportedly being used for issuing fresh driver’s licenses that are not preceded by a learner’s permit.
He said the Joint Tax Board (JTB) reviewed the fees payable for a five-year and three-year driver’s license to N21,000 and N15,000, respectively, for a motor vehicle and N11,000 and N7,000, for a motorcycle or tricycle from November 1, 2024.
Ogene observed that the FRSC is alleged to use its Information Processing Centre (IPC) to warehouse driver’s license data, manipulating it on the side, and shortchanging the State Boards of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in collecting and using fees for processing driver’s licenses.
Licenses.
He expressed worry that; “the FRSC is reportedly controlling receiving accounts for drivers’ license fees, including those from Driving School Certification and Driving History Applications meant for foreign travel applications, the yearly revenue generated from chargeable fees, which amounts to hundreds of billions of naira, is also allegedly unaccounted for by the Vehicle Inspection Office and various state Boards of Internal Revenue.
“The processing of driver’s licenses is unexplainably being delayed for upwards of two to three years after the biometric data capturing of applicants.
“The huge debts the FRSC owes Galaxy Backbone Ltd. and other system consultants, who are the network providers and maintainers of the biometrics data capturing system, are responsible for the system slowdown and the resultant long delay in issuing driver’s licenses.”
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