Weeks after the Federal Government removed fuel subsidy, the government has introduced a new fee of N1,000 payable annually by private and commercial motorists across the country for Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) verification.
The new fee which is applicable by motorcyclists and motorists irrespective of their vehicle status was said to have been approved by the apex government through the Joint Tax Board (JTB) during a meeting that was also attended by representatives of 36 state governments and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recently.
As gathered, the apex government under the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari, after it’s approval, decided not to make it public, rather, directed the state governments to implement the new transport policy in their domain using the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) as the issuance in each states.
In compliance with the Federal Government directives, the Lagos State Government has indicated plans to kick-start collection of the fee for POC from motorists beginning from July 2023.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola, disclosed that the policy, to be implemented by every state, was designed to streamline and enhance process of vehicle ownership verification across the country.
He noted that the new policy would aid better planning, security, and accountability within the country’s transportation network.
Toriola said that the initiative was in accordance with the National Road Traffic Regulation 2012 as amended, No. 101, Vol. 99; Section 73- (1) which states that ‘There shall be Proof of Ownership Certificate for all registered Vehicles’. Section 73- (1-6) also added that ‘The commission shall establish and maintain a Central Data Base for Vehicles and drivers for the federation.”
“To this end, the Federal Government has introduced the issuance of annual Proof of Ownership Certificate for all registered vehicles. This certificate will serve as official documentation of a vehicle’s legal owners upon successful completion of the necessary requirements and procedures.
“The POC will contain vital information including the vehicle’s registration details, such as, license number plate, model, year of manufacture in addition to owner’s name and address.
“Having critically reviewed the challenges encountered in ensuring promotion of Safety and Security of lives and property through the issuance of POC nationally and especially in our Dear State, the Joint Tax Board in its communiqué issued at the end of the emergency meeting held on 9th May, 2023 adopted and made a resolution that proof of ownership certificate (PoC) be issued to motorists on an annual basis nationwide,” he said.
The permanent secretary said the the decision, among other things was aimed at tracking the real time status and guarantees the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme (NVIS) database.
He stated that for effective security administration, the annual POC was specially printed and connected with other vehicle documents in the state.
Toriola explained that through the POC, statistics of vehicular population nation-wide could easily be obtained, while it would bring solution to minimization of car theft and recovery of stolen vehicles, as well as streamline the fulfillment of uniform licensing scheme mandate.
Other benefits, he said, included that the states motor vehicle documents could easily be verified regardless of the issuing state; safety and security of vehicles and their owners, enhancement of National Vehicle database for national security and for planning and economic development.
“We believe that the POC will help track the real time status and guarantee the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme (NVIS) database and it is based on the safety and security it guaranteed that the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has approved for its commencement in Lagos State, hence this briefing to enlighten the public,” he said.
Also, the FRSC representative, Tajudeen Mafe, disclosed the Corps readiness to collaborate with the Lagos State Government towards implementing the policy.
Mafe said the implementation is in line with the FRSC Establishment Act of 2007, to regulate and enforce all road safety management procedure through robust database, expressing willingness of the Agency to ensure smooth execution of the procedure.
The General Manager, Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA), Lape Kilanko, represented by Olabisi Olowolagba stated that the initiative aligns with the Agency’s vision of gathering reliable and accurate database which will aid its operations.
Segun Obayendo, the Group Managing Director of Temply SYC Ltd, stressed the significance of this procedure in addressing the issue of stolen vehicles that are currently untraceable.
He emphasized that with this initiative, interstate vehicles can be easily verified and captured in the Lagos State database. He also highlighted the role of data in the success of the Intelligent Transport System