Taxi drivers dare FRSC on new number plates

TAXI drivers in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, have advised the Federal Road Safety Commission to jettison the ideal of appealing the Lagos High Court ruling on the imposition of new number plates on motorists.

The taxi drivers, who spoke under the aegis of Port Harcourt Taxi Drivers’ Association, said they were not ready to change their old number plates for the new ones.

It will be recalled that a High Court in Lagos had, on March 26, 2014, ruled that the issue of redesigning new number plates by the commission was not covered under the provision of any law in the country.

A lawyer, Emmanuel Ofoegbu, had instituted a suit against the imposition of new number plates on Nigerian motorists.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, one of the taxi drivers, Mr. Eugene Amadi, praised Ofoegbu for challenging the action of the commission. He said FRSC should forget about the imposition of new number plates on Nigerians.

Amadi warned that he was prepared to die with anybody that impounded his vehicle based on the new number plate policy.

“That lawyer that went to court has paved a way for people to put more interest in that matter. Now, if they (FRSC) try to go to Appeal Court on the same matter, they will find it more difficult there than what they had seen before at the High Court.

“There is no need for the commission to go to Appeal Court. Telling us to change our number plates at the rate of N30,000 for one number plate is just to create another avenue to extend the suffering of Nigerians.

“You see, a car that is not worth more than N20,000 and you want that taxi driver to go and get a new number plate of N30,000. How would the person cope? So, there is no reason for that,” Amadi maintained.

Another taxi driver, Mr. Sunday Solomon, explained that he was not ready to purchase the new number plate, adding that FRSC was suppressing the common man through its action.

Solomon said, “FRSC’s duty is to stay on the highway and ensure the safety of lives and not to sell number plates. Imposing number plates on motorists is to suppress the common man.”