The Federal Government has asked motorist to embrace the new drivers' and vehicle licensing introduced by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), stating that the scheme will assist security agencies to tackle insecurity.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said this yesterday in Abuja while speaking at the February Edition of walking/ jogging exercise organized by the FRSC to commemorate its 24th anniversary.
He observed that security agencies encounter great difficulties in tracing most of the vehicles used for terrorist attacks in the country in recent times because “some motorists cut corners to obtain the former document.
“We are particularly happy about the new (driver’s) licence because for quite a while, we have seen vehicles being used in this country for terrorist attacks.
“And sometimes it has been very difficult for security agencies to trace them because there is no proper issuance of driver’s licence and therefore, people can pick any vehicle and commit huge crime against the nation.
“But with your new system, it is quite possible to detect every vehicle, who is the owner, even if it changes hand, you can always trace it back to the original owner,’’ he said.
The minister said the new document had been of significant assistance in the efforts to detect vehicles used by terrorists to carry out attacks.
Maku advised motorists against “cutting corners’’ to obtain them, saying that no nation made it by cutting corners.
He commended the commission for its achievements in its 24 years of existence but urged it to intensify efforts in the enforcement of traffic rules and standards for safety.
“The FRSC was set up to deliver Nigerians from the tragedy of the huge number of deaths we used to record every year on our roads.
“We have noticed that there have been sharp decreases in the number of accidents on our highways. There is always room for improvement; there is still a lot of public education to do when it comes to road safety.