The Traffic Awareness Forum (TAF) has dismissed claims that the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), also known as the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) is behind the current scarcity of number plates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This is in response to a recent report alleging that VIO officials were selling number plates at between N100,000 and N120,000.
A statement made available to LEADERSHIP Sunday by Toba Owolabi on behalf of the forum said the DRTS does not produce number plates, a responsibility that lies solely with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
“From January this year to May, only 35,000 number plates were supplied to the FCT DRTS and many motorists in the country prefer to use the Abuja number plates instead of those of their states, hence the pressure and periodical scarcity caused by low supply from the FRSC and more demand by motorists,” Owolabi said.
He faulted the report, saying it lacked evidence.
Owolabi clarified that the number plates in possession of the DRTS director’s office were reserved for official purposes and sometimes urgently required as security numbers.
He accused the report of misleading Nigerians and urged the public to disregard it.
The TAF member acknowledged that while the DRTS shares responsibility for number plates with the FRSC as the producer, the scarcity issue stems from hitches and reduced production during the administration of the immediate past FRSC boss. He expressed hope that the new corps marshal of the FRSC would improve number plate production and expedite the release of drivers’ licenses.