The Lagos State residents are celebrating a major victory after a Federal High Court ordered the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to stop confiscating vehicles with faded number plates.

The court’s decision also prohibits the FRSC from punishing or fining drivers of such vehicles.

The residents are urging the FRSC to take responsibility for producing high-quality number plates that won’t fade quickly.

Mike Ochonma, chairman of the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association, welcomed the court’s judgment, questioning why the FRSC would impose fines on vehicle owners for faded number plates that they produced themselves.

Ochonma noted that the FRSC manages production plants nationwide and supervises the quality of vehicle number plates distributed across the country.

He advised the FRSC to improve the quality of the number plates and provide replacement options at a reduced cost to lessen the financial burden on motorists.

Other residents, including Foster Obi of DfcNews, echoed Ochonma’s sentiments, urging the FRSC to inform vehicle owners of the duration of the number plates and the time of replacement.

Obi pointed out that it’s unjustifiable for the FRSC to arrest drivers for faded number plates when they’re the ones responsible for producing them.

The court’s decision has sparked widespread relief among Lagos residents, who hope that the FRSC will take heed and produce better-quality number plates.

As Edith Ugo, a banker, puts it, “The government processes the number plates, so why should the FRSC persecute drivers for faded plates?”