Proof of Ownership Certificate: FG imposes N1,000 annual fee on motorists

By Emmanuel Adeleke

The Federal Government has introduced an annual fee of N1,000 on all motorists for Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) verification.

Lagos State will commence the collection of POC fee from vehicle owners in July 2023.

Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola, said the state government had begun the implementation of the new initiative.

He said the initiative is aimed to streamline and enhance the process of vehicle ownership verification which is the “annual Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) in line with compliance with legal requirement fundamental to transparency, security and accountability within transportation network.”

“In accordance with the National Road Traffic Regulation 2012 as amended, No. 101, Vol. 99; Section 73- (1) which states that ‘There shall be Proof of Ownership Certificate for all registered Vehicles’. Section 73- (1-6) also added that ‘The commission shall establish and maintain a Central Data Base for Vehicles and drivers for the federation.

“To this end, the Federal Government has introduced the issuance of annual Proof of Ownership Certificate for all registered vehicles.

“This certificate will serve as official documentation of a vehicle’s legal owners upon successful completion of the necessary requirements and procedures.

“The POC will contain vital information including the vehicle’s registration details, such as, license number plate, model, year of manufacture, in addition to owner’s name and address.

“Having critically reviewed the challenges encountered in ensuring promotion of Safety and Security of lives and property through the issuance of POC nationally and especially in our dear state, the Joint Tax Board in its communiqué issued at the end of the emergency meeting held on May 9, 2023 adopted and made a resolution that POC be issued to motorists on an annual basis nationwide,” Toriola said.

The Permanent Secretary also said the decision, among other things, was aimed at tracking the real time status and guarantees the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme (NVIS) database.

He stated that for effective security administration, the annual POC was specially printed and connected with other vehicle documents in the state.

Toriola explained that through the POC, statistics of vehicular population nationwide could easily be obtained, while it would bring solution to minimisation of car theft and recovery of stolen vehicles, as well as streamline the fulfillment of uniform licensing scheme mandate.

“We believe that the POC will help track the real time status and guarantee the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme (NVIS) database and it is based on the safety and security it guaranteed that the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has approved for its commencement in Lagos State, hence this briefing to enlighten the public,” he added.