FRSC’s permanent ‘temporary’ National Driver’s Licence

An employee of the Federal Road Safety Corps told me that considering when my data was captured he was “sure” that my permanent drivers licence should be ready; that those at the Vehicle Inspection Office may not take their time to check “very well”. And true, there are many drivers licence there that their “owners” […]

An employee of the Federal Road Safety Corps told me that considering when my data was captured he was “sure” that my permanent drivers licence should be ready; that those at the Vehicle Inspection Office may not take their time to check “very well”. And true, there are many drivers licence there that their “owners” have not “come” to collect!
Every two months, I am required to go to the licensing office to renew it. I see the same crowd forced every two months to go through the same process. One man said for almost two years he haad been renewing his own. Some who are tired of complaining just shrug it off. Some don’t even bother anymore to check whether their permanent one is ready, but just thrust their paper in front of the person who stamps it for renewal. Equally, the person who stamps it hardly looks up to see the person whose document he is stamping on. It is all part of a boring routine. The idea of the temporary drivers licence to expire in “60 days” was conceived because it was thought that by that time the permanent one should be ready. Perhaps, they can learn something from the voters’ card issue. I suggest that subsequent issuance of temporary driver’s licence should carry an expiry date that the permanent one would normally carry. After all, what really make them “temporary” or “permanent” is not actually their dates, but the material they are made from! In addition, I think three years’ validity for a well “scrutinized” driver’s licence is too short. Four years would have been good, but five years would be better. I see the FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, as a dynamic public servant with the right zeal as his predecessor to push for innovations. I hope though that my permanent driver’s licence would see the light of day before it expires.

Dr Cosmas Odoemena, Lagos <[email protected]>;