FRSC urges Lagos drivers to track licence application process

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Lagos Sector Command, has urged drivers to track their permanent driving licence within 60 days of application to reduce its backlog of abandonment.

The Sector Commander, Corps Commander, Babatunde Farinloye, gave the advice in an interview with the newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.

Farinloye said the development was to reduce the number of abandoned driving licences in the state.

He urged applicants to always ensure they fill out the next-of-kin number provided in the application form.

According to him, tracking within 60 days will help one know whether the permanent driving licence is ready and, in turn, reduce the number of abandoned licences.

“The next of kin number on the form must be filled out, and this will ensure that the applicant is reached when the licence is ready. If it’s not there, it makes it difficult to contact the applicant.

“Also, if you are not contacted, the onus is on you to go and check for collection,” he said.

Speaking on the Bypass Capture Scheme, Farinloye said the initiative was part of the organisation’s efforts to ensure a seamless renewal of the driving licence.

He maintained that a sufficient sensitization programme had been embarked upon to educate applicants on the scheme and other issues as regards licence applications.

“One can do a bypass when a licence has expired and wants to be renewed. Going for physical capture for the renewal is skipped if nothing is changed in the information provided previously,” he said.

For the conversion of a foreign driving licence to a national, the sector commander listed the data page of the person’s passport, the foreign licence used, proof of residence in the country of domicile, and the utility bill, among other requirements.

According to him, for a data change, the owner of the licence should notify the authority in writing within 14 working days of any change in the holder’s name or address.

“Where the change is in respect of name, the holder must appear personally before the appropriate authority; notification to the authority must be supported by the document justified in this regulation.

“The authority shall, on the payment of a specified fee, issue a new driving licence of the same class to the applicant on the new one.

“Another approach is if one wants to change the class of licence from private to commercial. One needs to attain the age of at least 26 years.

“Evidence of being a member of an association such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers, a letter from a registered transport company, and others.

“Medical certificate of fitness from any government hospital for the psychological evaluation of the driver to ascertain if the person is well enough to handle the steering, to ensure the sanity of the person, is guaranteed,” he said.

He, however, said the notion that the road safety corps is the organisation that issues driving licence is incorrect.

“We only have a kind of tripartite agreement with the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency, (MVAA) on this.

“The MVAA is the one issuing licences. What we do is biometric and physical capturing of applicants after being presented by the VIS that the applicant has been certified to be proficient in driving,” he said.