6 days ago
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Olabisi Sonusi, is the Superintendent Route Commander of Ikeja Driver’s License Centre of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). In this interview with OLUSEGUN KOIKI, she speaks on the processes of obtaining a new driver’s license by applicants, challenges facing the centre and advises applicants, among others. Excerpts:
How long has the Ikeja Drivers License Centre been in existence?
The new era started fully in 2011 and Ikeja was one of the very first centres that came onboard. We have Ojodu, Ikeja, Eti-Osa and a few others like that in the state. It was after these that we started having other centres in Lagos. Presently, we have 23 centres in Lagos and Ikeja Driver’s License Centre is one of these 23 centres.
How long does it take for the Ikeja Driver’s License Centre to process a driver’s license for applicants?
First, let us understand that driver license applications do not start with us. The processes start from the applicants and anyone who wants to renew his or her license can do it on his or her own. That is one thing that most drivers, motorists and applicants need to first know. You can just log on to our website: www.nigeriadriverslicence.org in the comfort of your home or office with your existing driver’s license; you can key into the system, add your date of birth and from there, you will see your information properly. Then, you need to follow through the entire process. There and then, the system will give you options – recapture or any other necessary information that you may require. It will also give you the option if you want to make payment with your card.
Once this is done, you are expected to print this application out, including the application form, then, you proceed to the centre you picked for the application proper. Then you will visit the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) that will endorse, which will make sure that your payment is confirmed. Thereafter, they will send you to the Vehicle Inspection Service Office (VIS).
What we have presently in all the centres is what I call a one-stop shop system; you have the MVAA, VIO and the Driver’s License Centre of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). All these organisations are situated within an environment.
At FRSC, what we simply do is to check the options you have – recapture, new applicants and others. Ours is to approve the form for the specification for the applicants.
With the current system, it is possible for the applicant to start his or her application in one day, be captured by our system the same day and get his or her temporary driver’s licence the same day. And in a situation where this is not possible, you are advised to come at a particular date for capturing. This is usually within a short period, but all these depend on the system.
However, the temporary license lasts between 30 to 60 days before the permanent driver’s license is sent back to the MVAA for pickup by the applicant. Most of the time, applicants receive a Short Message System (SMS) before pick up date and in case this didn’t come, an applicant can visit the centre for an update on the status of the application.
There are various costs for driver’s license applicants, can you clarify these costs?
I am going to take this from the side of the FRSC only. If you want to have a balanced idea of the total cost, you need to get to the MVAA and the VIS offices because I am aware they have their own stipulated amount of money they charge for each category of driver’s license – renewal or fresh.
For a three-year applicant, the cost is about N10,350. The N10,000 is for the three years, while the N350 is for bank charges, but for a five-year applicant, it is N15,450. The N450 on it is also for bank charges. I know the VIS has its own charges for the services it renders.
However, we have arguments from some of the fresh applicants who think they are supposed to pay the same amount of money as a renewal applicant. A fresh applicant starts from registering in an approved driving school, goes through the 26 modules before you carry out the computer-based test. I am aware that all these are not free of charge. That is an additional amount of money for fresh applicants.
At the Ikeja Driver’s License Centre, how many applications do you process in a month?
On the average at this centre, we process between 260 and 270 applications. So far this week, we have processed about 245 applications. On the average monthly, we do about 3,000 applications and at times, we hit 4,000 applications. In a year, plus or minus, we treat about 40,000 applications from this centre.
The Ikeja centre is one of the high producing centres in Lagos. Like I said earlier, we have several driver’s license centres in Lagos, but we are one of the highest producing centres in the state.
What are the challenges the centre encounters regularly in the discharge of its duties?
Some of the challenges from the FRSC side, we are surmounting them gradually; majorly, it is the network challenges, which is common even in our various homes. Aside from this, the operation is always seamless.
However, in the last four months, this centre has not had power supply. So, we have been running on diesel. This is taking a toll on us, but just recently, the Corp Marshal was able to provide a solar panel to us to carry out our functions without much disruption. So, presently, we interchange between solar power and diesel.
However, I am using this medium to appeal to the Lagos State Government to restore the power supply to us so that we can deliver our job with more ease to the public.
On the part of the applicants, some of them are impatient; sometimes, people want to shunt the queue, they want to be attended to quickly without following the due process. The major challenge I see is from the cultural perspective.
You know, courtesy demands that you give preferential treatments to the elderly, pregnant women and nursing mothers among others, but sometimes, some of the applicants kick against this. I think we are losing that gradually. We need to revive that culture of giving respect to the elderly and special people in our society.
Internally, how do you think the FRSC can assist you to deliver your jobs more seamlessly?
For the FRSC, as at yesterday (last Thursday), we got an enquiry on the number of machines that we will require at this centre. Ikeja being a high producing centre, I believe we should have more than one system for the processing of applicants. When we have more than one system, it will make our job easier and faster. Don’t forget that we started here with two systems for application processing, but within the period, one of them became faulty. An additional system will eliminate this long queue that we presently experience here now.
However, I am optimistic that the Corp Marshall is working on it and very soon, this would be addressed.
Any expectations from the Lagos State Government?
For Lagos State, I want to appeal for an additional space for our officials and applicants. This is a part of customer service, too. If we have that, it will help us to attend to our applicants in a more relaxed atmosphere.
What is your advice to applicants?
I would advise them to start the application processes on their own in the comfort of their offices and various homes. But, if you are in doubt of any of the stages, you can visit the centres for clarification. We need to reduce human interference in all of this. This is what the government wants and preaches always. This will also help to curb excessive payment for licenses.
Once you ask someone to do something for you, you should expect the person to add his or her own charges. We should also not forget that the driver’s license is for us to drive, remain alive and not to send us to the mortuary. When we apply for our license and we get it, we should realise that it is an instrument for us to drive and drive responsibly while we are on the road.
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