According to The Punch, vehicle owners who approach the Federal Road Safety Corps for registration without genuine clearance documents from the Nigeria Customs Service will, henceforth, have such vehicles impounded. President Goodluck Jonathan handed down the directive to the FRSC during the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday.
The Corps Marshal, FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, attended the session to brief the FEC members on the country’s status on the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). He later joined the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, to brief State House correspondents after the meeting. Chidoka said the directive from the President would eliminate the era of fraudulent Customs papers being tendered by motorists seeking to register their vehicles in the country. He said, “Initially, our plan was that when we see you, we ask you to go back to the Customs. But with the feedback from Mr. President today, that is not enough. We need to hold that car and investigate how it entered into the country without going through the normal process.
“So we will modify the process to include the Customs in that process.” He said his organisation would continue to work hard to make Nigerian roads among the 20 safest in the world by 2020 in terms of accidents. The FRSC boss said under his leadership, the organisation’s personnel had increased from 11,000 to 19,000; patrol vehicles from 170 to over 800; and ambulances from 10 to 52; as well as more call centres and increased funding. Chidoka also assured Nigerians that the delay being witnessed in getting the new driver’s licence would soon become a thing of the past.