States get federal support to issue own driver’s licence

Following the dispute President Umaru Yar’Adua on Tuesday convened a meeting between Babatunde Fasola, governor of Lagos State and Osita Chidoka, FRSC boss with Michael Aondoakaa, attorney general and minister of justice as well as top government officials from both sides present at the meeting.

Dependable presidency sources told Business Day yesterday that though the president agreed with FRSC that it was the only government agency mandated to issue the driver’s licence, he was of the view that the time has come to decentralise the system to allow the respective states design and issue their own driver’s licences.

The move, it was learnt, would facilitate the easy issuance of the item to prospective applicants who before now have to wait for months before securing them from the FRSC.

The development, Business Day gathered, would enable the government standardise driving procedures as prospective applicants would be required to undergo comprehensive driving tests before being issue any category of the driver’s licence.

The FRSC over the years has been the only authorised issuer of the driver’s licence and the production of the vehicle number plates but the inability of the FRSC to meet the growing demands by Nigerians, especially residents of Lagos State, led to the decision by the state government to produce and issue driver’s licence to its residents.

"The president is of the view that the FRSC should allow be allowed to design the templates while the respective states do the production and issuance of the licence," the source said.

"I think the president does not want to isolate the Lagos case. He wants all the attorney generals of the states to meet to review the issue and come up with a joint proposal to the president for approval."

Consequently, Aondoakka and the attorney generals of the 36 states and the federal capital territory are expected to meet soon to deliberate on the issue.