The Vehicles Inspection Office (VIO) has urged Nigerians to embrace due process in obtaining their drivers licence to guarantee its authenticity.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of VIO, Mr KK Iloduba, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

“We encourage Nigerians to get used to due process.

“Before you are issued a drivers licence, it is expected that you must have passed through a driving school.

“Having passed through a driving school, you are given a driving school certificate.

“It is our mandate to determine your competence, to investigate the certificate you brought to us whether you are duly qualified or not; there are two dimensions to that.

“We have the theoretical test and then, we have the practical test; driving has gone beyond just moving a vehicle from point A to point B.

“We want to ascertain whether you are conversant with the road signs because road signs are signs and symbols or road furniture that enhances driving, so, this is the procedure and this is what aches most Nigerians.

“The procedure to many is rigid, but I think it is the best because safety does not begin on the road; safety does not begin when you are behind the steering, safety on the road begins with the issuance of drivers licence.

“If only applicants who have gone to driving school, who are qualified to drive, who have been tested by the VIO and then captured by the FRSC, are allowed to drive on our roads, then I think that our safety matter on the road would have been duly addressed.”

Iloduba said it was important for drivers to understand the Highway Code (road signs).

He said it was the duty of VIO personnel to check applicants, who had passed through a certified driving school and issued a certificate, to ascertain their competence.

Iloduba said: “we expect the drivers to know all the signs but in case of any failure, we will send the applicant back for further learning.

“It will take him or her another two or three weeks to sit for another test.

“Having passed the theoretical and practical test, drivers will go and make payment for their license before been handed over to FRSC personnel who will then conduct eye test and do the bio-metric capturing.

“This will be followed with an issuance of a temporary driver's licence and within a timeline of two months to three weeks, the original will be ready.”

Iloduba encouraged Nigerians to visit any VIO capturing centre close to them and be guided on how to get a driver’s license adding that the centres were located at Lugbe, Kuje, Apo, Federal Secretariat, among others. (NAN)

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