The House of Representatives has decided to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate challenges surrounding the issuance of driver’s licences, as well as related revenue generation and utilization over the past three years. This decision followed the adoption of a motion presented by Rep. Victor Ogene (APC-Bayelsa) during Wednesday’s plenary session. While presenting the motion, Ogene highlighted a tripartite collaboration involving the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), State Boards of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), which facilitated the digital issuance and renewal of driver’s licences. He noted that the final approval on a driver’s licence is usually granted by a designated official at the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) in the applicant's state. Ogene further explained that the MVAA initially issues a learner’s permit at a prescribed fee before a full driver’s licence is granted. He raised concerns about the FRSC’s VIP centre, which, though intended for licence renewal, is allegedly being used to issue new driver’s licences without requiring prior learner’s permits. Ogene also pointed out that the Joint Tax Board (JTB) had reviewed and set the fees for five-year and three-year driver’s licences at N21,000 and N15,000 respectively for vehicles, and N11,000 and N7,000 for motorcycles and tricycles, effective from November 1, 2024. “FRSC is alleged to use its Information Processing Centre (IPC) for warehousing data for driver’s licences and shortchange the state Boards of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in the collection and usage of fees for processing driver’s licences. “Worried that FRSC is reportedly controlling and receiving accounts for drivers’ licence fees, the yearly revenue generated from chargeable fees, which amounts to hundreds of billions of naira, is also allegedly unaccounted for by the VIO and various state boards of internal revenue. “Disturbed that the processing of drivers’ licences is unexplainably being delayed for upward of two to three years after the biometric data capturing of applicants. “Also disturbed that the huge debts the FRSC owes Galaxy Backbone Ltd. and other system consultants who are the network providers and maintainers of the biometrics data capturing system are responsible for the system slowdown and the resultant long delay in the issuance of driver’s licences,” he said.