By Tony Okafor, Awka
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra State has said that over 5,000 drivers in the state have driving licence.
The corps said such number of licences were in its custody, unclaimed.
Sector Commander Adeoye Irelewuyi, who disclosed this , said the development was one of the major reasons that informed the ongoing ‘Operation Show Your Licence’ in the state.
He said 1,057 personnel, including regular and special marshals, had been deployed across the state during the Easter period.
He said,“Our records show that there are over 5,000 unclaimed drivers’ licences in the state that have been processed and completed. The owners prefer driving with expired temporary licences.
“This is one of the major reasons for the ‘Operation Show Your Licence’. Apart from this, we observed that certain traffic violations that were booked showed many unlicensed drivers.
“The offences they are booked for are so obvious that if they are well trained, they wouldn’t have been caught in such violations.
“We’re convinced that there’s need to weed out untrained drivers so that the level of crashes recorded in the state will be reduced, especially during the rainy season that requires skills and special attention.”
He added: “Although we’re yet to conclude on the reason for the huge number of unclaimed licences, generally, Nigerians have the propensity for last minute rush to comply with directives.
“Besides, looking at similar incidents that have occurred in recent times, especially the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collection, you will discover the same tendency of people waiting till they are forced to do it.”
The FRSC boss, however, hoped that the ongoing enforcement would reduce unclaimed licences and increase applications for driver’s licence during the period.
He said, “Although we’re doing a weekly check, we’re expecting a sharp reduction in the number of unclaimed licences as well as increase in application for driver’s licence during the period.
“We’ve identified areas where the 1,057 officers will man for free flow of traffic, prompt removal of obstruction and response, hoping to have a crash-free celebration.”
