The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) on Thursday threatened to suspend states over failure to upload appropriate data on vehicles, motorcycles and tricycles.
Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, gave the warning at a meeting in Abuja, on Thursday with chairmen of State Boards of Internal Revenue and Consultants engaged in registering vehicles for State Governments.
He said that it was imperative for state governments and stakeholders in the Motor Licensing Authority (MLA) to regularly populate the National Database with accurate information to help check kidnappers who used unregistered vehicles to perpetrate crimes.
Oyeyemi said that the corps was committed to a solid National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) and the National Database as veritable instrument for addressing security challenges in the country.
He said that the meeting was a follow-up to a similar meeting held in 2017.
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“When we finished in 2017, the key resolutions were for the states to fully automate their vehicle registration process and also for the Motor Licensing Authorities to stop the renewal of documents for vehicles with old number plates.
“It was also for the enforcement of registration of motorcycles and tricycles number plates with generation of proof of ownership.”
“There is no reason why the consultants should not upload as before the end of August all the consultants at the state Motor License Authority must ensure all these records are fully uploaded.”
Oyeyemi further said that afterward, states that defaulted in the upload of the necessary information of vehicles would be suspended from the production of number plates.
“We will report them formally to the National Security Adviser.
“We are battling with security issues and states must give maximum support. It is not a favour, these are statutory responsibilities that the states must fulfill their obligations,” he said.
He explained that most of the kidnappings across the country were perpetrated by persons using motorcycles that were unregistered.
The corps marshal said that it was difficult for security operatives to track the kidnappers down because the vehicles used in committing the crimes were not registered.
“This becomes a problem. It becomes a major problem and that is why we got directive that we must inform the states to carry out their own responsibilities.
“The statutory responsibility of the states is to ensure that all categories of vehicles as per the National Road Traffic Regulations are registered.
“This is even up to bicycles; bicycles supposed to have a permit, it is there, the law is very clear on that, he said.
Also speaking, Chairman, Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr Babatunde Fowler said that Section 73 of the National Road Traffic regulation mandated all states motor vehicle registration agencies to upload data to NVIS database.
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Fowler was represented by Executive Secretary of the board, Mr Oseni Elamah.
He said that “while states are saddled up more interested in collecting revenue the most critical aspect of this collaboration is for us to provide the data to the Federal Road Safety Commission.
“They are not interested in the money you want to collect; they are interested in the data because they have the responsibility to register and maintain an up to data of every individual that use our high way, every equipment that runs on that high way and to also ensure the security of live and property throughout the country on our highways.
“And that responsibility comes with enormous information that have to be managed.”
He said that NVIS database was of immense assistance to government and by extension to all Nigerians as data was used for several things including making projections, policy formulations and vehicle theft recovery.
“As stakeholders, we urge you to provide the corps with the maximum support in providing accurate data of registered vehicles without holding back any records.”(NAN)
