Opinion
Judgement On FRSC’s New Number Plate: In Whose Interest?
A Federal High Court in Lagos, Wednesday held that the on-going exercise by the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, to replace the old number plate with a new one is illegal and unconstitutional because there is no law empowering it to carry out the exercise.
The court declared that FRSC had no legal authority to impose new number plates on motorists in the country.
What does this judgement mean to people in Port Harcourt? Our chief correspondent, Calista Ezeaku and Photographer, Dele Obinna went round the city to find out.
Excerpt:
Ms Enale Kodu (Ph.D) Journalist:
If they say it was unconstitutional for FRSC to impose new number plates on motorists, what of the people who have already been embarrassed and harassed by Road Safety over this issue and the money involved in the change to the new number plates? It is really unfair that at this point the judgement is given. Why didn’t they give that judgement before FRSC implemented the new number plate idea and started harassing people? What I’m saying is that the concerned citizen that took the matter to court should have done that before people were put through the stress of changing their number plates.
So I think that since they have started issuing new number plates, they should continue it because many people have already spent their money, obtaining the new number plates, except their money would be refunded. If they want to cancel it, court should compel FRSC to find a way of refunding all that have already spent their money on the new number plates.
Many people objected to the idea when it was introduced but FRSC went ahead to implement it. I know how many times the matter came up in House of Representatives but FRSC did not bulge, the same thing they are doing with the new driver’s license may tomorrow take the drivers license issue to court and they will feel it is unconstitutional also.
So if the court has given that judgement on number plates they should do the same on driver’s license so that we will know what our stand is now. Why can’t FRSC be sure of the constitutionality of their ideas before forcing people to comply with them. And when they started they enforce it so much that you are pushed even if you have to beg, borrow or steal just to ensure that they don’t harass you on the road and it is really unfair.
So if they are stopping the issuance of the new number plates, they should equally stop the new driver’s license because people are suffering, going to internal revenue just to change their driver’s license. They should stop everything and refund people their money. I don’t understand the essence of the new number plate. It’s just a change of material, that’s all I know. One artists comes up with one funny thing. Even our old number plate was more Nigerian than this new one that they have to draw Nigerian Map. We are proud of our country but the old number plate really showed the Nigerian flag very properly and people understood it. And I know internationally that is what other countries used. So what more do they want? Why should they put the whole map there, making it very funny.
Mrs Joy Grant-Amadi – Journalist:
The judgement is a good step in the right direction because people have been complaining and suffering over this issue. I wonder how people will spend a whole sum of N35,000 just to get a new number plate. We were told the new number plate was introduced as a way of checking crime and as a source of date base and all that, but in spite of all that people’s cars are still being stolen and all that. In fact, we have not gotten the impact of the new number plate. But I want to tell you that I’m very happy because I have not changed mine and I’m really happy for the person that took the matter up in court and I pray that he court’s decision will stand.
I personally do not see the need for the change of number plates. It’s just a way of extorting money from ordinary Nigerians and the people that have paid for the new number plates should cry out. They need to get back their money. Let them compensate them in one way or the other.
FRSC should abandoned the new number plate exercise because there are a lot of people that have not bought it. Not everybody can afford it. A lot of people, even taxi drivers have packed their cars because of the issue of new number plate and new driver’s license to avoid being harassed and abused by FRSC, police and other road traffic agents.
Everyone can’t afford the huge sum of money required to get them.
Mr Bright Amaehwule – Civil Servant:
The Federal High Court is in the right direction. The Federal Road Safety Commission has no right to impose new number plates because they were the ones that issued the old one, which people paid for. So it is not every time that they come up with ideas of how to make money that they force them on the people. So the Federal High Court is in the right direction and we the public are very happy with the judgement. And FRSC should refund all those that have bought the new number plates because we are in one Nigeria and we have one constitution which disallows the use of the old number plate.
Whatever FRSC wants to achieve with the new number plate can also be achieved with the old one. If you call for car owners to bring their vehicles and the numbers, the data are installed, they can be tracked. The same numbers they previously issued can be tracked instead of issuing new ones. In fact there are no difference between the old numbers and the new numbers.
Sokaribo West (Esq) – Lawyer:
For me that judgement is a welcome idea. Kudos to the judiciary for that judgement because there are a lot of people today who do not understand why the Road Safety Commission should impose new number plate on people when there are existing plate number. In fact, even the amount of money required to obtain the new number plate is just too exorbitant. You are changing the number plate to a new one and at the same time you said we should also change the driver’s license to a new one. How many people have money to do that?
So, I think the judgement is okay. Not everybody will go to court to challenge these ideas from FRSC but the people who went to court for it have gotten judgement. Even though Road Safety will appeal, the y will still fail eventually.
FRSC does not really have the right to impose new number plates on the people. I think last year this same issue of the new number plate went to the National Assembly and some well-meaning people kicked against it. They even told them to go back and review the amount they were imposing on the new number plates. The amount is just too high. For me now, I understand I have to pay about N40,000 for a new number plate and at the same time pay for a new driver’s license. So, I think it is unconstitutional. The constitution does not give them power to do that.
I was even of the opinion that if I have an existing number plate, why should I pay that much for a new one, except I’m registering a new vehicle all together then you can now tell me that you have reviewed the fees for number plates. It is now so, so, so percentage. But when I had already spent so much before now to put the number plate I’m using and you are asking me to come and pay triple of that amount because you are now giving me a number plate with flower on it. So what is the essence. It is unconstitutional.
Even the time frame given to car owners to change to the new number plates is another thing. There are a lot of people who are complaining that some Road Safety officials are even collecting bribe from persons in order to give them the new number plates. Apart from that, some persons even paid for this new number plate since last year and up till now, they have not gotten it so there will be a lot of discrepancies in this issue. And you know Nigerians, they use the eleventh hour to make money. So I feel if the national assembly has given a go ahead to the new number plates, FRSC should review the amount of money involved. Secondly, this thing should be done over a period of time not just this fire brigade approach to it.
Chief Bethel Dappa – Chairman, NURTW, Abali Park:
We are happy about the judgement. How can they tell you to come and buy something which you have bought before. So we thank the judge. This type of thing should continue. Government should stop cheating people because I already have number plate and you are telling me to come and buy another one for N35,000, N40,000, that is one of the best I have heard so far. And I know that the whole idea of changing number plate would not be realistic because if you go to the northern part of the country, nobody is buying it. It is only in the East here that people are buying. In the North and West, people are not buying it. And the imposition of the new number plate is a big burden to commercial drivers. None of the vehicles we use for our business is a new one. They are all Tokunbo vehicles that have been used for up to ten years. Everyday the vehicle is at the mechanic workshop. No commercial car owner can save up to N20,000 in a month and now they are forcing us to pay N35,000 for a new number plate.
There is no need for new number plates. It is a wrong idea. You tell somebody to buy a number plate and after that, you force him to buy another one. Number plates do not expire like vehicle particulars. Now there is new driver’s license too and to obtain it you pay up to N15,000. They don’t ask whether the drivers feed or not or whether their businesses are moving or not. They come up with these ideas to make life difficult for people. There is no job in this country. Everybody in this country, including graduates are suffering. I have two sons, two daughters that have graduated from tertiary institutions, no job for them. All of them are at home worrying me.
Mr Donatus Mpune – Public Service:
If the constitution did not give Road Safety the power to impose new number plates on the people, I think I support what the judge has done. You see, there is nothing wrong with the idea of having new number plates except that they shouldn’t have need extra cost to owners of vehicles. When the idea of a new plate number was muted by FRSC, they told us that they were adding more information to the new number plate, which would serve as a data base to any other government organ or interested persons. That aspect, I support. But I’m not in support of extra financial cost of acquiring these new number plates on vehicle owners.
The political atmosphere in Rivers State has been anything but calm in 2025. Yet, a rare moment of unity was witnessed on Saturday, June 28, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, appeared side by side at the funeral of Elder Temple Omezurike Onuoha, Wike’s late uncle. What could have passed for a routine condolence visit evolved into a significant political statement—a symbolic show of reconciliation in a state bruised by deep political strife.
The funeral, attended by dignitaries from across the nation, was more than a moment of shared grief. It became the public reflection of a private peace accord reached earlier at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. There, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu brought together Governor Fubara, Minister Wike, the suspended Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and other lawmakers to chart a new path forward.
For Rivers people, that truce is a beacon of hope. But they are not content with photo opportunities and promises. What they demand now is the immediate lifting of the state of emergency declared in March 2025, and the unconditional reinstatement of Governor Fubara, Deputy Governor Dr. Ngozi Odu, and all suspended lawmakers. They insist on the restoration of their democratic mandate.
President Tinubu’s decision to suspend the entire structure of Rivers State’s elected leadership and appoint a sole administrator was a drastic response to a deepening political crisis. While it may have prevented a complete breakdown in governance, it also robbed the people of their voice. That silence must now end.
The administrator, retired naval chief Ibok-Ette Ibas, has managed a caretaker role. But Rivers State cannot thrive under unelected stewardship. Democracy must return—not partially, not symbolically, but fully. President Tinubu has to ensure that the people’s will, expressed through the ballot, is restored in word and deed.
Governor Fubara, who will complete his six-month suspension by September, was elected to serve the people of Rivers, not to be sidelined by political intrigues. His return should not be ceremonial. It should come with the full powers and authority vested in him by the constitution and the mandate of Rivers citizens.
The people’s frustration is understandable. At the heart of the political crisis was a power tussle between loyalists of Fubara and those of Wike. Institutions, particularly the State House of Assembly, became battlegrounds. Attempts were made to impeach Fubara. The situation deteriorated into a full-blown crisis, and governance was nearly brought to its knees.
But the tide must now turn. With the Senate’s approval of a record ?1.485 trillion budget for Rivers State for 2025, a new opportunity has emerged. This budget is not just a fiscal document—it is a blueprint for transformation, allocating ?1.077 trillion for capital projects alone. Yet, without the governor’s reinstatement, its execution remains in doubt.
It is Governor Fubara, and only him, who possesses the people’s mandate to execute this ambitious budget. It is time for him to return to duty with vigor, responsibility, and a renewed sense of urgency. The people expect delivery—on roads, hospitals, schools, and job creation.
Rivers civil servants, recovering from neglect and under appreciation, should also continue to be a top priority. Fubara should continue to ensure timely payment of salaries, address pension issues, and create a more effective, motivated public workforce. This is how governance becomes real in people’s lives.
The “Rivers First” mantra with which Fubara campaigned is now being tested. That slogan should become policy. It must inform every appointment, every contract, every budget decision, and every reform. It must reflect the needs and aspirations of the ordinary Rivers person—not political patrons or vested interests.
Beyond infrastructure and administration, political healing is essential. Governor Fubara and Minister Wike must go beyond temporary peace. They should actively unite their camps and followers to form one strong political family. The future of Rivers cannot be built on division.
Political appointments, both at the Federal and State levels, must reflect a spirit of fairness, tolerance, and inclusivity. The days of political vendettas and exclusive lists must end. Every ethnic group, every gender, and every generation must feel included in the new Rivers project.
Rivers is too diverse to be governed by one faction. Lasting peace can only be built on concessions, maturity, and equity. The people are watching to see if the peace deal will lead to deeper understanding or simply paper over cracks in an already fragile political arrangement.
Wike, now a national figure as Minister of the FCT, has a responsibility to rise above the local fray and support the development of Rivers State. His influence should bring federal attention and investment to the state, not political interference or division.
Likewise, Fubara should lead with restraint, humility, and a focus on service delivery. His return should not be marked by revenge or political purges but by inclusive leadership that welcomes even former adversaries into the process of rebuilding the state.
“The people are no longer interested in power struggles. They want light in their streets, drugs in their hospitals, teachers in their classrooms, and jobs for their children. The politics of ego and entitlement have to give way to governance with purpose.
The appearance of both leaders at the funeral was a glimpse of what unity could look like. That moment should now evolve into a movement-one that prioritizes Rivers State over every personal ambition. Let it be the beginning of true reconciliation and progress.
As September draws near, the Federal government should act decisively to end the state of emergency and reinstate all suspended officials. Rivers State must return to constitutional order and normal democratic processes. This is the minimum requirement of good governance.
The crisis in Rivers has dragged on for too long. The truce is a step forward, but much more is needed. Reinstating Governor Fubara, implementing the ?1.485 trillion budget, and uniting political factions are now the urgent tasks ahead. Rivers people have suffered enough. It is time to restore leadership, rebuild trust, and finally put Rivers first.
By: Amieyeofori Ibim
Amieyeofori Ibim is former Editor of The Tide Newspapers, political analyst and public affairs commentator
Do the Fulani herdsmen have an expansionists agenda, like their progenitor, Uthman Dan Fodio? Why are they everywhere even the remotest part of other areas in Nigeria harassing, maiming, raping and killing the owners of the land?”
In a swift reaction, The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) decried and strongly condemned the invasion by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
In his denunciation, MOSOP President Fegalo Nsuke described the incident as very unfortunate and deeply troubling, warning against a recurrence of the violence experienced in Benue State. “The killing of yesterday is bad and very unfortunate. We are getting preliminary information about how the herders gained access to the farmland, and it appears some hoodlums may be collecting money and granting access illegally.”
He called on the Hausa community in Rivers State to intervene swiftly to prevent further attacks.
“We want the Hausa community in Rivers State to take urgent action to ensure these issues are resolved”.
But will such appeal and requests end the violent disposition of the Fulani herdsmen? It is not saying something new that the escalating threat and breach of peace across the country by the Fulani herdsmen or those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, leaves much to be desired in a country that is bedevilled by multi-dimensional challenges and hydra-headed problems.
Some upland Local Government Areas of Rivers State, such as Etche, Omuma, Emohua, Ikwerre, Oyigbo, Abua, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, have severally recounted their ordeals, as herdsmen invaded farmlands, destroyed crops, raped female farmers and killed protestant residents.
Again the wanton destruction of lives and properties which no doubt has overwhelmed the Nigerian Police, makes the clamour for State Police, indispensable. The National Assembly should consider the amendment of the Constitution to allow States to have their Statutory policing agencies.
As insurgency has risen to an all time high in the country were killings has now grown to be a normal daily activity in some part of the nation it may not be safe to say that Nigeria still practices democracy.
Several massacres coming from the Boko Haram and the herdsmen amongst all other insurgencies which have led to the destruction of homes and killing, burning of communities especially in the northern part of the country. All these put together are result of the ethnic battles that are fought between the tribes of Nigeria and this can be witnessed in Benue State where herders and farmers have been in constant clashes for ages. They have experienced nothing but casualties and unrest.
In the month of June 13-14, the Yelwata attack at the Guma Local Government Area by suspected gunmen or herdsmen who stormed the houses of innocent IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) claiming the lives of families, both adults and children estimated to be 200 victims. They were all burnt alive by these unknown gunmen.
This has been recorded as one of the deadliest insurgencies that had happened in recent years. Some security personnel that were trying to fight the unknown gunmen also lost their lives.
Prior to the Yelewata attack, two days before the happening, similar conflict took place in Makurdi on June 11, 2025. 25 people were killed in the State. Even in Plateau State and the Southern Kaduna an attack also took place in the month of June.
All other states that make up the Middle Belt have been experiencing the farmers/herders clash for years now and it has persisted up till recent times, claiming lives of families and children, homes and lands, escalating in 2025 with coordinated assaults.
Various authorities and other villagers who fled for safety also blamed the herdsmen in the State for the attack that happened in Yelwata community.
Ehebha God’stime is an Intern with The Tide.
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