The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has clarified that Riders Permit issued to tricycle and motorcycle operators in their respective states is not a replacement for the National Drivers License (NDL).
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, who made the clarification in a recent statement, warned that they are two different documents and permit can never be used in the place of the NDL.
He explained: “Owing to the growing rate at which tricycle and motorcycle operators mistake Riders Permit issued in their respective states for the National Drivers License (NDL).”
According him, the NDL is a national security document that embodies drivers information as contained in the national drivers database.
“All over the world,” he pointed out, “Drivers License is the only document that gives a trained, qualified and certified driver the right to drive on the road and Nigeria, having successfully acceded to the six United Nations Conventions cannot operate in contrast to global best practice in that regard.
“The idea behind NDL is to ensure that every driver on the road have their information captured in the database, for the enhancement of security of all road users and for intelligence gathering among the law enforcement agencies. The relevance of the document not only as a means of identification cannot be overemphasized.”
The Corps Marshal, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi was quoted to have, therefore, cautioned all operators who patronize drivers permit as an alternative for the national drivers license to desist from such henceforth to avoid arrest and penalties.
The Corps, therefore, advised all motorcycle and tricycle operators who hitherto did not know the difference between the NDL and the Drivers Permit to ensure that they go ahead to procure their licenses as violators will be penalized.
