Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, may have stirred human rights controversy when it said Wednesday that commercial driver’s licences would no longer be issued to applicants below the age of 25 years.
Disclosing
this, the Lagos State Sector Commander, FRSC, Mr Nseobong Akpabio, said
the step was intended to get rid of underage drivers and sanitise the
profession. Commercial drivers licences are given to drivers of trucks
and taxis.
“An
underage commercial driver has no commitment and may see driving as one
of those jobs that could be toyed with. Many road crashes, especially
with articulated vehicles, were usually traced to motor-boy drivers, who
were without experience,” Akpabio told the News Agency of Nigeria.
Akpabio
called on transport unions, parents, as well as passengers, to assist
the commission in checking underage drivers in order to achieve the
United Nation’s Decade of Action for Safer Road Users.
“Road
crash involving a commercial bus may jeopardise the existence or
progress of 10 families and if it involved freight vehicle, it will
affect the progress of the company.
“Drivers
are very important as they can either mar or make a person, because if
there is safe arrival, goals and aims can be achieved, but in a reversed
case, such goals and aims have been cut short,” he said.
He
said that the approved minimum age of 25 years for obtaining commercial
driver’s licence would help in checking road crashes usually caused by
underage drivers.
He
urged commercial drivers to start processing their licence now to avoid
last minute rush, adding that they should avoid patronising touts and
go through the normal process of obtaining the product.
The
new commercial driver’s licence – Class-E — was flagged off in Lagos on
31 December, 2012, to identify underage and unqualified drivers.
.Have
your say: is the FRSC right in banning Under 25 Nigerians from
obtaining commercial drivers’ licences, since a Nigerian is deemed to be
an adult from 18?
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yes they r right
ReplyDeleteyes! Dey are right bcs sum of all dese commercial drivers especialy d tanker and tipper drivers drives witout conscience and end up lavishing lives and property. So i KUDOS! 2 d nigerian FRSC..
ReplyDeleteNigerians, this is a very, very good decision, a right step in a right direction. These under aged children are the cause of deaths in our roads and highways. Any human right activist that want to condemn this action may the Almighty God punish him / her, his / her father and mother.SSO.
ReplyDeleteWe are getting it right now let's implement.but how will they detect the age wen we don't have data capture centres in nigeria during child birth
ReplyDeletethis is totally wrong, am a nijaa man living in uk where we have a proper driving school, things like this should be put in place back home
ReplyDeletein uk we have the followings
provisional drivers licence
B = manual drivers licence
B = automatic drivers licence
B+E = car with trailer
C1 = medium size vehicles
C1+E = medium size vehicles plus trailer
C = large vehicles
C+E = large vehicles with trailers
D1 = mini bus
D1+E = mini bus and trailer
D = buses
D+E = buses with trailer
F = agriculture tractors
G = road rollers
the list is endless as long as you are 18 years
and you can pass the theory and pratical test
you will pass it
what if an 18 year old is more responsible? will
he be punsihed for the sins of others?
Nigerians wake from your slumber and stop going backward
Nirautica
so all the mentioned list of things above
ReplyDeletewill just be like an endorsment on a single
drivers licence
let us bring back the olden days council runed
test center, wey back in the 70's and 80's
Nirautica
Kudos! Kudos!! Kudos!!! the Nigerian FRSC, yes that is fair for cars and please it will be good if it is step up to minimum of 30years for cars and mini-buses while 35-40years minimum for trucks and heavy duty vehicles including big buses. Please our FRSC be our road messiah in making this a reality. & I will say to Mr. UK to keep all he has vomited to himself.
ReplyDelete