The Federal Road Safety Corps has said Nigerians will now get their driver’s licences faster following the launch of a contactless biometric system aimed at removing temporary licences and long waiting periods.
The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, made this known on Monday in Abuja during the flag-off of the 2025 Ember Months Public Enlightenment and Sensitisation Campaign. He said the new system is part of FRSC’s plan to fully digitalise its operations and make the licence process more efficient.
Mohammed explained that the system allows instant biometric capture without touching any device and syncs the details directly to the corps’ database.
“It’s seamless now. You don’t need to place your hand on a device to get your fingerprint. The system captures it automatically and synchronises your details with our database,” he said.
“At the end of the process, once you’re captured, you get your driver’s licence immediately. There will be no more temporary licences or long waiting periods,” he added.
He also said the new contactless biometric system would begin this month, making the process fully digital and linked with the national database.
Speaking on road safety, Mohammed said Nigeria recorded fewer crash deaths compared to 2024. He said data from Operation Zero, held between December 15, 2024, and January 15, 2025, showed 432 deaths and 2,070 injuries from 533 crashes. Between January and September 2025, however, 3,433 deaths and 22,162 injuries were recorded from 6,858 crashes, marking an improvement in road safety figures.
Mohammed noted that the corps would step up its Ember Months operations with awareness campaigns against distracted driving, overloading, and fatigue.
He also revealed that the FRSC would host the International Conference on Road Crash Victims for Africa from November 16 to 18, 2025, in partnership with the KRSD Road Safety Foundation.
During a visit to the FRSC Driver’s Licence Print Farm, Deputy Corps Marshal for Motor Vehicle Administration, Aliyu Datsama, said the corps had increased its production capacity to clear pending licence backlogs.
“We work 24/7 now because of the backlog we had. It was about 800,000, but we’ve reduced it to 400,000. Our daily production rate is 40,000, and in the next few weeks, we’ll clear everything,” Datsama said.
The FRSC said it remains committed to using technology to improve service delivery and promote safer roads nationwide.
