FRSC to Unveil Contactless Biometric Licencing, Eyes 24‑Hour Number Plate Delivery- Corps Marshal
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is set to unveil a new contactless biometric technology for instant issuance of driver’s licences. According to the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, the innovation will be launched within days and is expected to eliminate the longstanding weeks‑long delay that has frustrated millions of Nigerians.
He made the disclosure while highlighting the Commission’s recent achievements and strategic direction during a courtesy visit to his Abuja office by Mallam Yushau A. Shuaib, Managing Director of Image Merchants Promotion Ltd., publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential.
The Corps Marshal disclosed that FRSC has also cleared a backlog of nearly 400,000 unprinted licences, reduced the number plate crisis that once saw Nigerians paying up to ₦250,000 on the black market, and secured Nigeria’s position as host of two major continental road safety secretariats.
The FRSC boss announced that the corps has procured the latest globally certified biometric equipment to replace devices that had been in use for over 15 years. The new contactless system will allow officers to capture a citizen’s biometrics and photograph from a distance using a handheld device, produce the licence instantly, and hand it over on the same day.
“You will no longer need to press your thumb on a scanner. We use a device like this, from even a distance, to capture everything. And then we just print the licence and give you — instantly. We don’t need to wait for two weeks or three weeks,” he said.
“We want a situation where you do your licence, get it, and go — on the spot.”
He added that FRSC would run two parallel tracks to ensure a smooth transition: a standard option of up to one week, and a premium express lane for on-the-spot issuance. All state centres will be equipped with the new system.
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On the number plate crisis, the Corps Marshal said the Commission had transformed the situation from one of severe scarcity to one of sustainable surplus. FRSC distributed 20,000 number plates to Abuja recently and can now sustain that volume on a fortnightly basis — a dramatic reversal from a period when desperate applicants paid touts ₦250,000 for a single plate.
“If you go there today, you should be able to get your number plate. Within 24 hours, you are supposed to get it,” he said.
The Corps Marshal outlined an even more ambitious vision: a fully digital application portal through which citizens can apply online, select preferred number combinations, pay the statutory fee, and receive their plates at their doorstep — all without setting foot in any government office.
“We cleared a backlog of nearly 400,000 unprinted licences. As of today, fewer than 5,000 remain outstanding.”
The Corps Marshal also highlighted Nigeria’s growing stature in continental road safety governance. The FRSC now hosts both the Secretariat of the West African Road Safety Organisation (WARSO) and the Secretariat of the African Road Safety Lead Agencies — a dual mandate secured through competitive bidding.
The Corps Marshal was categorical on the centrality of media to the Commission’s mission: “Without media, you cannot go anywhere. No matter how much good work you do, if no one is there to propagate it, it is as though you are doing nothing.”
He emphasised that FRSC actively monitors social media for public feedback and adjusts its strategies accordingly. “Whenever we get negative comments about FRSC, we sit down and say: how do we change this? That is how we have been getting compliance,” he explained.
Beyond service delivery, the Corps Marshal framed the Commission’s digital reforms as a job creation strategy. Home delivery of licences and number plates, he explained, would engage dispatch riders and logistics workers across all states. A ₦500 delivery fee on a standard licence represents income for a young Nigerian with a motorbike.
“We are creating value chains for our young ones. That is the kind of thing we want to build,” he said, adding that even the process of applying for documents online generates employment for data entry agents and digital assistants.
Closing his address, the Corps Marshal offered a philosophy of leadership he said had guided FRSC’s turnaround: radical openness to new ideas, regardless of their source.
“Any person who believes they have all the knowledge knows nothing. You must always listen to those who know, and keep adding knowledge — no matter how high your level of expertise,” he said.
He acknowledged that some proposals received are not new — “some people come with ideas we implemented 15 years ago” — but said he still listens and still forms committees, because out of every ten ideas, one or two may contain something genuinely valuable.
By PRNigeria
