REPS LAMBAST FRSC OVER NEW NUMBER PLATE

By NBF News

Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Osita Chidoka was yesterday flayed for refusing to obey the resolution of the House of Representatives on the issuance of the newly introduced vehicle number plates and licences.

The House in a resolution of November 15th 2011 ordered the stoppage of issuance of new number plates and licences until the conclusion of a public hearing, the report of which would guide the House in taking a final decision on it.

At the public hearing by the House Committee on FRSC, members expressed displeasure about the conduct of the commission on the issue.

Deputy Minority leader of the House, Sumaila Kawu who was at the hearing to monitor proceedings on behalf of the leadership of the House accused the corps marshal of refusing to stop the implementation of the policy in spite of the House resolution.

'As the Chairman of the committee said earlier, I am here on behalf of the leadership. When we met at the office of the Speaker, many members complained that the resolution of the House is not being complied with by the FRSC. There's a resolution to that effect, but to our surprise, FRSC ignored our resolution

'The FRSC was created by an Act of the National Assembly and we expect the commission to abide by the law.

Kawu stated that the leadership of the House mandated him to find out from the Corps Marshal why the resolution had not been complied with.

Responding, Chidoka said he was yet to receive any direct communication from the National Assembly on the resolution of the House and that this was the reason the commission had not been able to comply.

He was also accused of deliberately delaying in submitting the document requested from him by the committee, but he replied that he got the summons of the House very late.

Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Omoigui Okauru also toed the line of the FRSC boss; she responded that she got the invitation to the public hearing late.

'Some of the document and information being sought by the committee dated back to 2007, I have tried my best to comply with the committee's demand.'

Chidoka was put to task over a purported statement he made that the National Assembly could not stop the FRSC from going ahead with the implementation of the new policy.

He, however, denied the statement credited to him, saying that he must have been misrepresented in the report.

Before the technical session was suspended, he had reported that a minimum of N192 billion is to be generated from the issuance of the new driver's license and number plates in the next one year.

According to the breakdown of estimate, the sum of N72 billion would be realized from driver's licenses and the balance N120 billion would come from vehicle number plates.

The House at Plenary session on November 15 had urged the FRSC to put a hold on the newly introduced plate numbers and driver's licenses, adding that it is not only economically oppressive, but lack added value to national security.

Also, the committee on FRSC was mandated to investigate the rationale, necessity and circumstances for the planned phasing out of the extant vehicle plate numbers and licenses and their replacement with new ones.

The FRSC was also advised to put on hold for now the implementation of the policy on new vehicle plate numbers and licenses pending the outcome of the investigation.