Lagos State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Jonas Agwu has cautioned motorists in the state not to drive without a number plate, stressing that such vehicles posed security threats and would be apprehended, arrested and prosecuted or fined in line with laws governing the state.

The recent driving development in the state may not be far from the new number plate scarcity, which the federal government through FRSC had announced the suspension of issuance of the old number plate to motorists.

Some Lagosians who just purchased new vehicles said it is difficult faced in getting the new number plates. Despite the FRSC announcement that all number plates being used now should be replaced with new ones before the August 2012 expiry date, it was gathered that the commission do not have enough new number plates in stock.

Many vehicle owners who have visited the FRSC offices in quest for new number plate before the August 2012 deadline as given by the federal government, so as not to pose security threats to the state, have had to park their vehicles in garages and the front of their homes, fearful of arrest by law enforcement agents for driving around in unregistered vehicles.

Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa who spoke on the matter said that the number plates would be issued to fresh applicants only within the next four weeks, noting that renewal and replacement of old number plates would commence thereafter.

Opeifa averred that the state-owned Number Plates Production Agency, NPPA, had put in place a production plan in order to carter for needs of prospective renewal applicants to enable them meet the deadline of 31 August, 2012, adding “the issuance of the new number plates by the state government will be the first on a large-scale by any state government or Federal Government agency since the NPPA ceased production of the old plates in September.”


culled from www.vanguardngr.com