Private and commercial car owners in Nigeria will from July 2023 pay an annual Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) verification fee of N1,000.
POC which is an initiative of the Federal Government is aimed at tracking the real time status and the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme (NVIS) database.
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, AbdulHafiz Toriola, who addressed a media briefing, yesterday, stated:
“I am pleased to announce the implementation of a new initiative that aims to streamline and enhance the process of vehicle ownership verification, which is the ‘yearly Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC) in line with compliance with legal requirements fundamental to transparency, security and accountability within the transportation network.
“This initiative is in accordance with the National Road Traffic Regulation 2012 (as amended) No. 101, Vol. 99; Section 73- (1), which states that ‘there shall be POC for all registered vehicles’. Section 73 (1-6) also added that ‘the commission shall establish and maintain a central database for vehicles and drivers for the federation.’
“To this end, the Federal Government has introduced the issuance of a yearly POC 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 licensed 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 should be issued to motorists on a yearly basis nationwide.”
Spokesperson for Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Bolanle Ogunlola, who confirmed the payment, said it is a Federal Government collection, clarifying: “It means that if anything happens to your vehicle in any part of the country, it is traceable in terms of theft and all of that.”
Ogunlola said it commences as soon as vehicle particulars are due for renewal, stating: “It is N1000 only.”
