News
VIO Not Behind Number Plate Scarcity — Stakeholder
A stakeholder in the Traffic Awareness Forum (TAF), Mr. Toba Owolabi, has criticized a Saturday Punch newspaper report titled “VIO Sells Number Plates for 100,000 and 120,000 Naira.”
Owolabi countered this publication in a press statement issued to select media outlets. He clarified that the VIO does not produce number plates; this responsibility falls to the FRSC.
From January to May this year, only thirty-five thousand number plates were supplied to the FCT DRTS, known as the VIO. Many motorists in the country prefer to use Abuja number plates over those from their states, causing periodic scarcity due to low supply from the FRSC and high demand from motorists.
The Punch reporter stated that he disguised himself and found a VIO staff member who agreed to contact the director’s office for a number plate at the rate of 100,000 to 120,000 Naira. Where is the evidence? As a correspondent, he should have marked the money or provided video or audio recordings of such dealings.
For clarity, the numbers in possession of the DRTS director’s office are reserved for official purposes because they are sometimes urgently required as security numbers.
Anyone can claim to be working in the DRTS director’s office and engage in unwholesome activities. The reservation of number plates did not commence under the current administration of this director.
I want to state categorically that the newspaper misled Nigerians, and such a report should be disregarded.
The DRTS, also known as the VIO, shares responsibility for number plates with the FRSC, which owns the production plant.
The administration of the immediate past FRSC boss experienced hitches and reductions in the production of number plates and driver’s licenses.
We hope that the new corps marshal of the FRSC will improve number plate production and expedite action on driver’s license releases for collection.
No one sells number plates for 100,000 and 120,000 Naira. In every organization, there are bad eggs, and the DRTS is no exception. The organization’s management has zero tolerance for corruption.
A coalition of youth organisations has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to reconsider its wanted tag on socialite, Dr Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, OFR.
The organisations, Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative said this in a joint press statement they issued on Thursday in Abuja.
According to them, the declaration of Achimugu wanted by the anti-corruption agency came to them as a rude shock.
The joint statement was signed by Comrade Emma Niboro and Ali Ameh for Niger Delta Youth Council for Good Governance and Middle Belt Youth Stakeholders’ Initiative, respectively.
They described Achimugu as a dedicated friend of the youths, who had always shown commitment to the welfare and care of the downtrodden.
According to the youth coalition, “we know the Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, as a man who came with utmost zeal to sanitize the agency. He has already demonstrated this and we are proud of his achievements so far.
“However, we urge him to resist pressure from politicians, which is a plague that has dwarfed EFCC for several years of its existence.
“The commission had hitherto remained a tool for politicians to undue their perceived political foes and this has always rubbed off on the credibility of the agency.
“The case of Achumugu doesn’t appear to be different in any way, as the haste with which she was declared wanted showed there is a hand of Esau and voice of Jacob.
“Our appeal is that the commission should withdraw the wanted tag on her and give her ample time to report to the commission, as she has never been indicted of any offence whether in Nigeria or outside the country.”
While noting that Achimugu is a global figure, they added that they can always vouch for her integrity.
“We know her, she has always been of immense help to the youths and other members of the society.
“Her closeness to certain politicians should not be used as a tool to persecute or harass her,” the youths further stated.
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.