This is coming on the heels of inundated media reports

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Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC)

Article | July 29, 2014 – 10:34am

Despite one of its senior officers insisting that it would begin
enforcement of the new number plates on August 1, the Federal Road
Safety Commission, FRSC, has said it has no such plan.
In a statement on Sunday, the Commission said that it had suspended
its earlier decision to enforce the new number plates following a
court judgment against it.
?Contrary to media reports, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC)
wishes to reiterate that it has not fixed a deadline for a nationwide
enforcement of the new number vehicle number plate and driver?s
license,? the FRSC said, in the statement.
?This is coming on the heels of inundated media reports and on-line
publications of a proposed plan by the FRSC to commence a nationwide
clamp down on vehicle owners/ motorists from 1st August, 2014 for
non-compliance with the directive on the new vehicle number plate and
driver?s license,? it added.
Last week, Chidi Nkwonta, the Commission?s Lagos State Sector
Commander, had insisted that the FRSC had decided to go ahead with the
enforcement of the new number plates and drivers? license following a
June 30 judgment by the Anambra State High Court.
Earlier, two federal high court judgments had ruled against the
Commission?s plan to enforce the new number plates describing it as
illegal and unconstitutional.
?This new judgment made it very clear that as from August 1, FRSC
should impound. So, Nigerians must discountenance that first
misleading judgment and take this one because we are going to continue
enforcement as from Aug. 1, 2014. We never asked anybody to stop
(processing licences). Anybody who stopped, ab initio stopped at his
own peril. Neither did the court ask anybody to stop; that judgment
never said anybody should stop,? Mr. Nkwonta said.
?So, anybody who did so did it at his own risk and the deadline was
supposed to be June 30. Now we have extended it to August 1, because
we needed to go on appeal on the other matter. But right now, there is
another judgment which says we can go on. So, while we are still
waiting for the appeal we are going to go on with this other
judgment.?
But in its statement, the FRSC said that it had decided to abide by
the decision of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), an umbrella body of State
Chairmen of Boards of Internal Revenue, statutorily mandated to
determine road taxes including prices of number plates and driver?s
license.
?For the avoidance of doubt, the Corps wishes to state that it still
stands on the earlier resolve to defer enforcement of the new number
plate and driver?s license following the suspension of the 30th June
2014 deadline for a change to the enhanced motor vehicle number plate
by the Joint Tax Board,? the FRSC said.
?In the light of the above, the Corps wishes to reiterate an earlier
directive to its Commanding Officers to defer enforcement on the
deadline, in keeping with the JTB suspension and the court ruling
pending the determination of the appeal.
?Motorists are however urged to renew their driver?s and vehicle
licenses as they expire, in line with extant provisions of the law,?
the statement added.

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