There is uproar in Lagos as state government officials clamp down on motorists driving vehicles with faded number plates.

The development came weeks after the Lagos State government declared that it is illegal and punishable to drive vehicles with faded number plates, and directed its relevant officials to impound such vehicles. But motorists have condemned the state government for the action, claiming that the faded number plates are products of substandard production.

They, therefore, called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the House of Assembly to probe the Lagos State Motor Vehicle Administration Authority and the Lagos State Number Plate Production Authority for dishing out substandard products to the public.

Many motorists claimed that with the avalanche of faded number plates on vehicles across the state, the government and its agencies could not be exonerated from the abnormality. They asked the government and its agencies to take a critical look at the quality control mechanism put in place for the production and procurement of the number plates.

The motorists said they should not be held responsible for poorly produced number plates that faded over a period of time.

Meanwhile, across the state, Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and the police, who often mount checkpoints to verify vehicle documents, have started to feast on motorists, especially owners of private vehicles with faded number plates, by either issuing them a fine or extorting them. This is usually followed with the additional instruction to go and replace the number plate that most times is procured at the price of a new one.

While intimating Lagos residents about the illegality of driving with faded number plates, the state government had in a statement on August 27 blamed motorists for the speedy fading of the plates.

In the statement, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola, implored motorists to change the liquid soap they use to wash their vehicles.

Toriola declared that covering of number plate without authorisation, use of faded number plate, use of damaged number plate, misuse of number plate and non-use of number plate, all violate the law and would not be acceptable especially with the present security challenges facing the nation.

Quoting Section 16 of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law (TSRL) 2018, the permanent secretary reiterated that ‘a person, who drives a vehicle that is not registered or does not have affixed identification mark in the prescribed manner, commits an offence.’

“The purpose of using number plate is for proper identification and security as it is personalised for each vehicle,” he added.

Toriola advised motorists to use water and non-chemical liquid to wash the number plates of their vehicles to prevent it from fading. Stressing that law enforcement agencies have the mandate to apprehend defaulters, he urged vehicle owners to cooperate with the state government to strengthen the security architecture already put in place.

However, a motorist, Soji Adebola, maintained that rather than the agencies of government doing an appraisal of what went wrong in a bid to check the trend, they are seeing it as another opportunity to make money.

“It is not only crude and cruel that those who live on tax payers’ money, rather than serve the people and make them to retrace their steps when they are not living up to expectations, see it as an opportunity to make money from the residents, mostly private car owners.

“It is a pity. In a sane environment, the producers of the number plates should have been queried whether it is a government agency or a contractor. Please, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should take a ride across Lagos State and see the huge number of faded number plates in town. It clearly shows that something is wrong somewhere with the production. It is only in Nigeria that when people fail in their duty post, the citizens suffer and pay for it,” he said.

Adebola said the House of Assembly should also intervene if truly they are the people’s representatives.

“They cannot look away when members of their constituency are being extorted. I expected that one of them should have raised the issue on the floor of the Assembly with a demand for all the persons involved to come and explain what is responsible for the fading of number plates,” he said.

Another motorist, Fatai Ahmed, narrated how a team of VIOs stopped his vehicle around Mile II area of the state.

“After one of the officers checked all my vehicle documents and my driver’s licence and saw that everything was intact, he then said that I would be charged for driving with a faded number plate,” he recounted.

Ahmed said it was after he pleaded with the officer and parted with N10, 000 that he handed his vehicle documents back to him and allowed him to leave.

According to Ahmed, he parted with N10,000 because the officer warned him that should his vehicle get to the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) yard at FESTAC First Gate, it would not be released until he pays a fine of N30, 000.

Chukwu Okafor, who commented on the issue via his Twitter handle, also said: “The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and VIO personnel are on rampage in every nook and cranny of Lagos State, harassing and punishing motorists for faded number plates as though it was the individuals who produced them. They charged me N38, 000 last week.”

Another motorist, Faseun Olumuyiwa, said: “Every day and time, Nigeria’s political leaders keep giving us reasons to understand that they are against our welfare and survival. Why will motorists be fined N25,000 for faded number plates? This is inhumane.”

In an article titled, ‘Faded Number Plates- Whose Fault, published in the July 19, 2022 edition of Daily Trust, Eugene Enahoro argued that, “it is the same warped logic that made government to shut telephone lines down for ‘national security’ while kidnappers freely used telephones to demand ransom payments.”

He further said: “Considering the current state of the economy, it is outrageous to impose upon citizens a penalty of N20, 000 for faded number plates, which only the officials can determine.

“The issue of faded number plates is big business. It is illogical to state that having a faded vehicle number plate is an offence, while the production and sale of inferior quality plates isn’t,” Enahoro lamented.

A human rights group, Citizens for Righteousness and Social Justice (CRJ), also expressed concern over the issue, urging the state lawmakers to urgently step into the matter.

The National Chairman of CRJ, Mr. John Adesanya, said it was unfair for the FRSC and Lagos State government to issue poor quality number plates, which fade with time and yet turn around to blame the motorists.

Adesanya described the development as disturbing and provocative to many vehicle owners.His words: “The defective number plates were produced by government agency. Motorists were compelled at that time to hurriedly change their number plates to the new ones on the basis of their needful security codes.

“Now, blaming the poorly-produced and faded plates on the soap used by vehicle owners to wash their vehicles is not only ridiculous, but also mischievous.

“Quality car paints do not fade due to washing with the same soap. Governments and some of their agencies, such as FRSC, are now more aggressive in revenue generation than providing quality services to the citizens.

“When their poorly-produced number plates already in circulation are fading, they should change them at a very low, subsidised cost.

“Vehicle number plates should be made to last. There should be no need for a change except in the case of damage due to accident.” Providing insight on why the number plates are fading, an experienced printer, Adekunle Olowosoke, blamed it on poor production process with substandard paints. According to him, the number plates also fade because of the texture of the plates being used to produce them.

“The plates being used are too glossy to absorb ink during printing, which causes them to fade easily.” Olowosoke also stated that if quality inks were used despite the fact that the surface of the plates was glossy, they would have lasted longer.

He advised the government to adopt a plate surface that is a bit rough or less smooth than the type being used at the moment. He also suggested coating of the painting on the number plates, or having a protective veil across them to prevent the ink from washing off easily.

A perusal of the State Transport Law, it discovered that driving a vehicle with unathorised or defective number plate is the only provision that came close to what is being enforced. There is nothing like faded number plate in the law.

The other provisions that deal with number plates are driving with a fake one and unlicensed vehicle. But it seems the government agencies are hiding under defective number plates and insecurity to drive the enforcement.

When the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency (MVAA) was contacted for response, the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Mrs. Demurin Ilori, said the questions should be forwarded to her on WhatsApp. This was complied with and the following questions were sent to her:

How much does it take to replace a faded number plate and what is the exact penalty for driving vehicles with faded number plates because motorists claimed some officers are extorting them with varied amount that offenders had been fined?

Some motorists claimed that the faded number plates are products of substandard production by the manufacturer and poor quality control and oversight by MVAA, what is the agency’s position on the allegation? There are also claims that the number plates fading are part of revenue generating ploy by the agency and the state government. Has the agency ever tried to investigate why the number plates get faded easily; what was the outcome of its findings?

Ilori replied that the official price for the replacement of a faded number plate is N18,750. She, however, said the question on enforcement should be directed to the VIS while she would get in touch with the Lagos State Number Plate Production Authority (LSNPPA) for comments on production quality.

The VIS boss, Akin George Fashola, was contacted via Whatsapp text message when he did not pick his calls. Responding to The Guardian’s enquiries, he said that the fine for driving with a faded number plate under the Lagos State Traffic Law is N20, 000 and impoundment of the vehicle in question.

On the allegation of poor and substandard production of the number plates, he said: “The faded plates are not substandard products from MVAA. The root of the matter from investigation is that washing detergents used by some are too harsh for the number plate and that is the main reason it fades. The paint on the number plate is not your ordinary paint as they are luminescent paint that reflects at night for visibility and as such you cannot use abrasive washing liquid to clean them.”

He also asserted that the state government “is not and doesn’t use fine payment for revenue generation.” (The Guardian)

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