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How to Verify Your Number Plate, Change Lanes While Driving
By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel
It is no news that middle lane hogging is a big problem on the Nigerian highways as it has been one of the major reasons for gridlocks and fiddling motor clashes on roads.
Hence, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the agency with the statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in the country, has taken to its social media platform to enlighten drivers on how to change lanes and merge while driving in line with the road safety rules.
The agency, on Monday, published a five-step guide on what vehicle operators and the driving public should rightly do when changing lanes and merging while driving in order not to violate the road safety rules.
Step 1: Turn on your turn signal.
Turn signals are the only way you can let other drivers know that you will be changing lanes. Using your blinker to signal your intent to change lanes, merge into traffic, and even turn into a parking spot can help keep you safe.
Step 2: Check your rear-view and side mirrors.
After activating your blinker, take a look into your rear-view and side mirror to ensure you have enough space to make the lane change. If there’s a car in the lane you are merging into, wait until you can see the entire vehicle (wheels included) and a few feet of pavement in front of it in your rear-view mirror.
At this point, if the other car is going at or below the same speed as you are, you should have enough room to change lanes.
It’s essential to keep an eye on the speed of the car you are trying to merge ahead of — if they are accelerating, you are better off letting them pass you before changing lanes (as the space for your car is quickly closing)
Step 3: Look over your shoulder to check your blind spot
Even after checking your mirrors, there’s a spot behind the car that you cannot see – and that spot could easily contain a car or motorcycle! Immediately after checking your mirrors, look over your right shoulder to ensure you do not miss anything.
Always remember when checking your mirrors and blind spot that it is easy to miss smaller objects, like cyclists, so keep your eyes peeled. Additionally, you can better avoid getting hit by not lingering in other drivers’ blind spots.
Step 4: Change lanes!
Once you have determined that it is safe to change lanes, it is time to go for it! Maintain your speed and glide into the lane smoothly.
Step 5: Turn your turn signal off.
Do not be that person driving down the highway with your turn signal blinking. As soon as you are in your desired lane, turn off your blinker.
How to Verify Your Number Plate
The FRSC also gave direction on how car owners across the country could determine the authenticity of their car number plate.
In the post published on its social media platform, it directed concerned persons to visit https://nvis.frsc.gov.ng/VehicleManagement/VerifyPlateNo where they will enter their vehicle’s number plate.
After clicking the “verify” button in the space provided, information on the verification of the car will be displayed below the button.
It noted that the verification is only applicable to the number plates with this format ABC123AB, not AB123 ABC.
In the notice, the agency also noted that it has limited the information provided to only care names and dates of registration to prevent the general public from seeing the full details of the registration.
By Dipo Olowookere
Residents and motorists plying the Aina Obembe Road in Baruwa, Ipaja, Lagos, may soon heave a sigh of relief as the excruciating traffic gridlock being experienced in the area both day and night may soon be a thing of the past.
This is because the chairman of Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, has directed those involved in indiscriminate truck parking along the road to remove the heavy-duty vehicles within one week, threatening to invoke appropriate enforcement measures for noncompliance with this directive.
Speaking during a meeting on Wednesday with the management of SENA Company, which owns the affected trucks, as well as the leadership of Oluwadara CDA and other key stakeholders like the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), at the council’s secretariat, Mr Agbaje frowned at the prolonged inconvenience suffered by the community, stressing that public roads must remain accessible and safe for all users.
He emphasised the need for a collaborative approach in resolving the issue without undermining legitimate business operations, noting that he’s focused on finding a lasting solution to the gridlock experienced between Oluwaga and Aina Obembe, where parked trucks have continued to obstruct traffic, disrupt business activities, and pose safety concerns for residents and motorists.
He tasked the firm and the CDA to jointly identify and implement alternative parking arrangements that would remove all trucks from the affected roads and restore the free flow of traffic.
He declared that, “The welfare of our people remains our highest priority. No individual or corporate organisation should obstruct public infrastructure or create avoidable hardship for residents. We must ensure that economic activities coexist with public safety, order, and convenience.”
The council chief reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to promoting orderly development, ensuring safe and accessible roads, improving traffic management, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive alongside the well-being of residents.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has cut import levies on new and used vehicles by as much as 10 per cent in a move aimed at reducing the cost of vehicle importation, even as it commenced the implementation of a new Green Tax surcharge.
According to an update issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday, the import levy on new vehicles has been reduced from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while the levy on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent under the 2026 Fiscal Policy Measures, which took effect on July 1, 2026.
The customs said the policy is designed to ease the cost of vehicle imports while advancing the government’s environmental sustainability objectives through the newly introduced Green Tax.
The implementation also reduces the overall import duty on fully built passenger vehicles from 70 per cent to 40 per cent.
As part of the Green Tax framework, a new environmental surcharge of between two per cent and four per cent will apply to petrol-powered vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 2,000cc. However, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and passenger cars with engines below 2,000cc are exempt from the surcharge.
Beyond the automobile sector, the fiscal measures also lower import duties on several essential goods. The duty on imported rice has been reduced from 70 per cent to 47.5 per cent, while crude palm oil now attracts a 28.75 per cent duty.
In addition, import duties on agricultural and manufacturing machinery have been completely removed to support local production, while Waste PET has been added to the export prohibition list to encourage domestic recycling.
By Dipo Olowookere
Plans are underway to carry out a comprehensive data capture and registration exercise of all commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators within Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA.
This move, according to the council chairman, Mr Lukmon Agbaje, is part of proactive measures to strengthen the security of lives and property across the Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The exercise, he said, would be executed in partnership with security agencies and transport unions.
On Tuesday, the council chief convened a high-level security meeting with leaders of commercial transport unions and key security stakeholders operating within the area.
Mr Agbaje expressed concern over the increasing influx of commercial motorcycle (Okada) and tricycle (Keke) operators into the LCDA without proper documentation or profiling.
According to him, the absence of reliable records poses significant security challenges and could provide opportunities for criminal elements to infiltrate communities under the guise of commercial transportation.
He stressed that security is best achieved through preventive measures, noting that effective profiling and documentation remain essential tools in safeguarding residents and protecting the council from emerging security threats.
Mr Agbaje disclosed that under the new security framework, all Okada and Keke parks and operational locations across the LCDA would be officially documented, adding that every duly verified operator would receive an official identification jacket bearing a unique coded number to facilitate easy identification and monitoring.
He also said a mandatory guarantor system will be introduced to strengthen accountability, ensuring that every registered rider has a verifiable guarantor who can be contacted whenever necessary.
The chairman noted that these measures are designed not only to improve security coordination but also to protect law-abiding commercial operators and discourage criminal activities within the council.
Leaders of the various transport unions welcomed the initiative, noting that proper documentation will distinguish genuine operators from criminal elements, enhance public confidence, and promote a safer working environment for commercial transporters.
Also, the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) of Ayobo and Ipaja Commands commended the initiative, describing it as a timely and commendable step towards strengthening community policing. They reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to working closely with the council to ensure full compliance and sustain peace and public order.
