Lagos set to roll out own Driver’s Licence, as traffic violations hit 737,000

Lagos State is set to introduce its own driver’s licence in partnership with the Federal Government as part of efforts to improve road safety, strengthen traffic regulation and speed up the issuance process for motorists across the state.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, disclosed this on Monday during the 2025 annual ministerial press briefing held at Alausa, Ikeja, to mark the second-term seventh anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.

Osiyemi said the new Lagos State driver’s licence would be launched within the next few weeks and would operate alongside the existing federal driver’s licence system.

According to him, motorists would have the option of obtaining either the federal licence or the new Lagos-issued licence under the collaborative arrangement between the state and federal authorities.

He explained that the initiative was designed to improve efficiency, reduce delays associated with the current licensing process and promote sanity and safety on Lagos roads.

The commissioner noted that the new system would also support the state’s broader transportation reform agenda, particularly in the areas of digital enforcement, vehicle monitoring and regulatory compliance.

As part of efforts to enhance road safety and remove unroadworthy vehicles from Lagos roads, Osiyemi said the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Service had intensified enforcement of the “No Vehicle Inspection, No Roadworthiness Certificate” policy through technology-driven operations.

He disclosed that a total of 1,114,080 roadworthiness certificates were issued during the review period, reflecting increased compliance with vehicle safety regulations across the state.

According to him, the state also recorded significant progress in digital traffic enforcement, with 737,340 traffic violations captured through the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera system.

The commissioner said the development underscored Lagos State’s growing adoption of intelligent traffic management and digital surveillance technologies.

Osiyemi further revealed that in collaboration with the Motor Vehicle Administration Agency and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the state processed 27,067 fresh driver’s licence applications and completed 29,810 licence renewals within the period under review.

This brought the total number of driver’s licences processed to 56,876.

He added that 1,158 International Driver’s Permits were also successfully processed.

The planned launch of the Lagos State driver’s licence marks a major step in the state government’s ongoing drive to modernise transportation administration and strengthen road safety enforcement in Nigeria’s commercial capital.