Motorists shun FRSC on Fashola-for-second-term number plate

Despite earlier warning by the Federal Road Safety Commission that motorists should not use a sticker designed to promote the second term bid of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, as a replacement for number plate, PUNCH METRO investigation has shown that some vehicles still use the sticker as number plate.

The FRSC Sector Commander, Mr. Jonas Agwu, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents last week, said the use of unauthorised number plate contravened the provisions of the 2004 National Road Traffic Regulations.

But PUNCH METRO findings show that at political meetings and on the streets, vehicles bearing the campaign sticker as number plate are still common.

It has also been observed that the use of the sticker as number plate is mostly found on exotic cars, especially in Surulere area of the state. Two exotic cars were spotted in Surulere and Ikotun areas respectively on Wednesday.

However, some motorists have removed theirs and now have them either on their windscreens or near their number plate.

Apart from the BRF sticker, similar stickers of other political aspirants that are contesting for other offices such as the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and local governments are now emerging and are being used as number plates.

But Agwu said FRSC would hold discussion with political parties and let them see reason why they should not use unauthorised number plates.

In an interview with PUNCH METRO on Monday, Agwu, who reiterated his earlier position, said there was nothing wrong in the use of party logo, symbol and stickers except if they were used as number plate.

He said apart from the use of unauthorised number plate, FRSC had also observed that party members and supporters over sped, drove recklessly and overloaded their vehicles under the pretext of going for political campaigns.

Agwu noted that the use of defaced or unathourised number plate was not limited to politicians alone as some people under religious, ideological and professional coloration committed same offence.

He warned that such act would no longer be tolerated.

Agwu said, “There is security implication if the slogan or sticker is defacing the number plate. You may ask, why is the issue of the use of wrong number plate, defaced number plate, plastic number plate, or transferred number plate contravenes traffic regulation? That is what the law says.

“It says for you to put a vehicle on the road, it must be registered. When it is registered, it has identification, which is the number plate of that vehicle. That means that at every point where anything happens to that number plate, you can always identify the car and can also trace the owner.
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