By Ibironke Ariyo
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says a total of 1,047,148 driver’s licences were produced nationwide in 2025, while 427,675 remain unclaimed by applicants.
The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Olusegun Ogungbemide, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ogungbemide said that a driver’s licence serves the owner in several ways, beyond being a driving document, explaining that it also serves as a security document accepted by institutions.
He, however, decried the poor turnout in the collection of processed driver’s licences, emphasising that the process had been simplified.
According to him, of the total licences produced, 427,675 remain unclaimed by applicants as of March 9.
“This implies that the number of licences actually collected by applicants nationwide in 2025 stands at 619,473, calculated by subtracting the unclaimed licences from the total produced,” Ogungbemide explained.
The CPEO added that the figures reflect the FRSC’s continued efforts to streamline the licensing process, ensuring that Nigerians can access valid driver credentials efficiently, even as unclaimed licences remain a challenge.
He urged all applicants who have yet to collect their licences to visit the FRSC’s respective offices to obtain them, stressing that timely collection was essential for legal driving and road safety compliance.
Ogungbemide also reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to adopting technological reforms and improving service delivery in the issuance of driver’s licences across the country.
He also advised Nigerians who still drive without valid driver’s licences to desist from the practice.
“It is a great disservice and an act of irresponsibility for anyone to access the road without having the documents authorising them to do so,” he said.
He, however, warned that boasting about driving for years without a licence was not something to celebrate but rather an act of lawlessness.
According to him, regardless of a person’s driving experience, the law regards anyone driving without a licence as a danger to themselves and other road users.
“You may escape for a while, but the long hand of the law will definitely catch up with you sooner or later,” Ogungbemide said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Muhammad Lawal
