The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has introduced a contactless biometric capture system for driver’s licence processing, marking a major step toward the full digitalisation of Nigeria’s motor vehicle administration.
The innovation was announced on Monday in Abuja during the flag-off of the 2025 Ember Months Road Safety Campaign, themed “Tech Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving.”
Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed said the new system would eliminate the need for temporary licences and drastically cut down delays in issuance.
He explained that the upgraded production facility now prints an average of 15,000 licences daily, a figure expected to rise to clear the existing backlog before mid-November 2025.
“We are about to commence contactless biometric capture with on-the-spot printing of licences, which will eliminate temporary licences,” Mohammed said. “This marks the beginning of a digitalised, one-stop process for obtaining driver’s licences in Nigeria.”
According to the FRSC boss, the reform was developed in collaboration with state governments and other stakeholders, noting that driver’s licensing falls under a concurrent legislative framework.
He added that the new process would integrate driving schools, the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), and certification units into a unified system, enabling applicants to complete the process instantly after biometric capture.
“Once you reach the capture point, you get your licence immediately. There will be no more two-week or six-month delays,” he said.
The contactless system, Mohammed explained, uses advanced biometric technology that reads fingerprints from a short distance, eliminating the need for physical touch. It is also synchronised with the National Identification Number (NIN) database to ensure data accuracy and seamless identity verification.
During a press tour of the FRSC’s Driver’s Licence Print Farm, Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration, Aliyu Datsama, confirmed that the system has gone live and will be deployed nationwide, including Lagos.
Datsama revealed that the Corps had reduced a backlog of 800,000 unprocessed licences to 400,000 and is now operating round the clock to clear the rest.
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“Our current daily production capacity stands at 40,000 licences, and by the grace of God, we will clear the remaining backlog in the coming weeks,” he stated.
He also urged motorists who have completed their biometric capture to collect their licences, noting that more than 206,000 printed licences remain unclaimed across various states.
The FRSC said the move aligns with its goal of leveraging technology to improve service delivery and ensure safer, more efficient road transport management in Nigeria.