The Joint Tax Board (JTB) has extended the deadline for the registration of vehicles number plates and drivers’ licences to June next year.
Chief Executive Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Chidoka Osita, who was represented at the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) headquarters by the Corps Transport Standardization Officer, Oluwasusi Familoni, revealed this in Abuja yesterday.
He said: “For the benefit of everybody here, the Joint Tax Board has graciously approved the extension of the deadline for procurement of driver’s licence and number plates till June next year.”
He explained to the association that the responsibility of fixing the deadline is that of the JTB, which consists of all the boards of Internal Revenue, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the corps.
Osita said that the FRSC, which is only on the board as an observer, does not fix deadlines for procurement of number plates and drivers’ licences.
He added that “ whatever the Joint Tax Board says on driver’s licence, number plates is what we carry out. Even as per the price, it is the Joint Tax Board that fixes the price.”
RTEAN President, Alhaji Musa Isiwele Shehu, announced that since the association is a major stakeholder in road transport matters, it would today write a letter to the JTB and FRSC to be included on the JTB board.
He said: “I think I have a point to raise there. We are supposed to be a member of that board because the FIRS and Road Safety are not the ones to buy the numbers, it is our members who buy them. And it is not free, it is for sale.
“We are supposed to be there as board members and we are now to negotiate the price on behalf of my people. You only dish out directives- ‘come and buy this number plate at the rate of N30,000.’
“I know some drivers who have no N30,000 in their accounts. Please you should take this to the office that this is our request.”
Shehu also asked the Federal Government to re-examine the issue of number plates.
The RTEAN boss urged the Federal Government to withdraw the old number plates now that there are new ones.
He explained that failure to withdraw the old ones would culminate in two number plates for one vehicle.
His words: “We are talking about the plate numbers that since they have the intention of changing, it should be a change because of the old one we have paid for it before. They are now bringing another one and saying pay. If you don’t withdraw the old one, automatically, one vehicle has two numbers.”
The association, according to Shehu, wants the dealer numbers be restricted to the state where the dealer is resident.
He insisted that “you can’t put dealer’s number in a vehicle and drive from Kano to Lagos. That dealer number has no particulars. A criminal can commit a crime with it and remove the dealer’s number and obtain a plate number.”
According to the RTEAN boss, the dealer number is supposed to be meant for testing of a vehicle before payment
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