Motorists in Nigeria are lamenting the delay associated with the processing of driver's licence at the various offices of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) nationwide.
Motorists who spoke to Weekend Trust alleged that at times they were extorted when applying for either a new licence or renewal, and described the development as frustrating.
The Nigerian driver's licence system is overseen by the FRSC, in partnership with licensing authorities at all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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Checks by our correspondents showed that applicants are usually required to undergo biometric capturing, after which they are issued a temporary licence valid for 60 days while awaiting the permanent plastic card. Findings showed that many of the motorists were not issued permanent plastic cards, months after registering, a development that makes motorists face harassment from law enforcers on the roads.
Speaking to our correspondent in the FCT, Paul Samson, a motorist who plies Central Area to Mararaba in Nasarawa State, said he had gone to the FRSC office several times because of the card but his efforts were abortive.
Narrating his ordeal, he said, 'I applied in August 2024, did the capturing in September and was told to return in November. By January and February, it still wasn't ready.
'My temporary licence had even expired by then; and it wasn't until July 2025 that I finally got my permanent licence.'
On his part, Alice Clement, a driver in Niger State, explained that the problem lies not just in delays but in inefficiencies within the system, saying she had a similar experience when her temporary licence expired before the permanent one was issued.
'Each time I went, they said network was bad. It took nearly 9 months before I collected mine,' she said, describing the process as very bad.
Mr Ebere Chukwudi, a driver, told our reporter that he had been visiting the Vehicle Inspection Office in Gwagwalada for over three months to acquire his licence but had received no positive response. He claimed that despite paying and having his data captured on the computer after filling a form, the officials were yet to issue the licence.
He explained that FRSC personnel frequently stopped him on the Kubwa expressway to demand his driver's licence and vehicle papers. 'Whenever I try to explain the situation, they would book me. I can't even count the number of times I visited the VIO office to collect my driver's licence. And they don't give clear reasons for the delay,' he said.
Abdullahi Yahaya, another motorist, said he had been making several unsuccessful efforts to renew his driver's licence, which expired in March 2025. He visited the FRSC office on multiple occasions but was unable to obtain the new licence. And his inquiries to officials for the reason behind the problem have not yielded a satisfactory response.
'My driver's licence expired in March 2025 and I have made several attempts at both the FRSC and VIO offices to get a new one, but unfortunately, I couldn't. Even when I tried to find out why, I didn't get any convincing response,' he said.
He claimed that both VIO and FRSC personnel often embarrass him because of the licence issue. He called on the FRSC management to publicly explain the cause of the delay.
Mr Kayode Abdulganiyu, another motorist, echoed the complaints over the non-issuance of licences. He said he visited both the FRSC and VIO offices in Gwagwalada but was unable to obtain the licence.
'When I inquired from the VIO in their office in Gwagwalada, they could not give me any convincing response. Some of them claimed they were trying to upgrade the driver's licence and that is why it is being delayed,' he said.
Abdulganiyu claimed the FRSC personnel along the Zuba axis had arrested and fined him on three different occasions due to lack of a driver's licence.
However, Evangelist Simon Edifeh, who processes his licence at the Mararaba office in Nassarawa Sate, said he didn't have difficulties.
According to him, many licences are ready but left uncollected. 'If you go there, you will see bags of licences waiting for people. Some motorists prefer shortcuts and fake licences, which cause them problems later.
'I go directly, renew, get captured, and within a week or so, I get mine,' he said, arguing that the absence of VIOs could weaken roadworthiness checks.
Many hurdles
Agbo Daniel, a commercial motorist, noted that the difficulty in obtaining a driver's license would start right from the payment level. According to him, it can take up to three days before officials even confirm the transaction.
He said the next trouble had to do with data capturing, adding, 'By the time you are through with that, you have to wait for about a month to get the temporary licence before the original copy is ready, which will take months.
'They would take another period just searching for the document when you go to their office to collect it,' explaining that this process is for renewals.
For obtaining a fresh licence, an applicant is required to attend a driving school and provide a medical report. He also said, 'Thereafter, you would wait for about three months before being asked to make the official payment and go for data capturing before the document could be ready at a specific time.'
Speaking about his preference between the FRSC and VIO, Daniel confidently said he preferred to register with the FRSC, explaining that VIO's procedure was more rigorous due to the high volume of applicants and patronage.
Saminu Sani recounted a previous experience where he rushed to apply for renewal upon the expiration of his license. He said, 'But I was disappointed as it took me so long before getting a new one. There is a lot of corruption attached to the procedure, which I refused to oblige.'
He urged the present government to declare a state of emergency on the issue and carry out the necessary reforms that would fast-track the process.
Possible reasons for the delay
A retired FRSC personnel, Abubakar Shehu, said the challenge with the issuance of driver's licence might be as a result of the ongoing upgrade of the licence by the FRSC.
'I think the challenge may be as a result of the upgrading of the driver's licence. My friend even gave me money to help him process the licence two months ago, but up till this moment, it is not yet ready,' he said.
A VIO official attributed the delay to bureaucratic processes from the FRSC headquarters in Abuja, noting that the FRSC handles the core licensing process.
'If you want to get the true picture about the whole matter, I think you should try and reach out to the FCT sector command of the FRSC, who are in a better position to give you details,' the official advised.
What happened in the past
In 2012, the FRSC introduced the digital driver's licence scheme, promising faster processing, improved security and reduced forgery.
More than a decade later, however, motorists say little has changed. Complaints of poor data management, network downtime and central printing backlogs remain widespread.
A driver, Mudi Shuaibu, recalled how he first obtained his licence in August 1988, claiming that the process was 'more honest than the present days. I can remember how I was interviewed along with other applicants at the VIO office. Thereafter, you would be issued the license immediately once you passed the test.'
Shuaibu alleged that the current process is 'entirely different' because a licence can be acquired without necessarily visiting any office. 'All you need is to transfer the money to an official and send a photo of your choice. And believe me, the document could be ready within a week,' he said.
For many applicants, the delay is not just an inconvenience but carries real consequences.
Expired temporary licences expose motorists to harassment by security officials, fines and sometimes extortion.
The driver's licence also doubles as a primary means of identification for banking, voter registration and regional travel within ECOWAS, further compounding the impact of the inefficiencies.
Stakeholders argue that without urgent reforms, including stricter monitoring of licence production, investment in digital infrastructure and a crackdown on middlemen issuing fake documents, the credibility of the licensing system will remain in question.
FRSC gives reasons
Reacting to the delay, the FRSC's corps public education officer, Assistant Corps Marshal, Olusegun Ogungbemide, noted that the process was an online-real-time, which involves biometric capturing and investigation at the backend.
He said, 'At the moment, there are some technical challenges the Corps Marshall is currently working on. However, there are about 228,000 licences yet to be picked up in licencing offices nationwide.''
Also reacting, the FCT sector commander of the FRSC, Mr Felix Therman, said over 25,000 processed driver's licences were uncollected by motorists in the FCT.
Speaking to one of our reporters on telephone, Therman said many applicants refused to come forward to claim their licences despite repeated public calls.
According to him, 17,000 licences are 'lying fallow' at the sector command office without any driver, commercial or private bothering to claim them.
'I want to tell you that we have over 25,000 driver's licences that are yet to be collected by motorists in the FCT. Even out of this figure, we have 17,000 licences at the sector alone, which have not been collected. So, I wonder how some motorists can complain that they are finding it difficult to acquire a driver's licence in the FCT,' he said.
Therman admitted that challenges for some motorists were indeed due to the ongoing upgrade of the licence, which involves changing some features.
'We just held a meeting with the FRSC Corps Marshal, and by the grace of God, in the next two to three weeks, the driver's licence will be available,' he concluded.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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