Author: Bob Echols’s

For years, motorists in Nigeria have endured a frustrating ritual: registering their vehicles with the state licensing offices, only to be stopped on the highway by police officers demanding an additional permit for factory-fitted tinted glass. The irony is painful — every new vehicle, including those with tinted or shielded glass, is already captured in the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS), the centralized database managed by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). So why are Nigerians being compelled to re-register with the police?

The answer lies not in necessity but in bureaucratic silos and institutional turf wars. By law, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) retains the authority to issue tinted glass permits under the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991. But in practice, FRSC already has the data. Every plate number, chassis number, and glass specification is captured the moment a car is registered. The logical solution would be for the police to access NVIS directly, extract a filtered report of all vehicles with factory-fitted shields, and enforce compliance seamlessly.

Instead, motorists are dragged through a second, often opaque process at police stations. This duplication breeds confusion, harassment, and informal revenue collection on the highways. Worse, it undermines public trust in law enforcement, turning a legitimate security concern into yet another avenue for extortion.

Yes, there are genuine worries. Aftermarket tinting is a security risk. Criminals exploit heavily darkened windows to evade detection. Police must have the authority to check and sanction illegal modifications. But this can be done through inspection points and digital cross-checks, not endless manual registrations.

Nigeria cannot claim to be pursuing digital transformation while its agencies cling to outdated silos. A simple reform could save time, money, and lives:
• Mandate FRSC to auto-flag tinted vehicles at registration.
• Provide NPF secure access to NVIS.
• Automate permit issuance electronically, with a transparent fee schedule.

This way, motorists deal with one system, not two. Police officers enforce compliance using real-time data, not roadside guesswork. And the state builds trust by showing that regulation is about safety, not rent-seeking.

The time has come to end this double compliance burden. Nigerians deserve a system where technology replaces intimidation, and where institutions collaborate rather than compete. In an era of insecurity, the Police need the public’s confidence more than ever. Simplifying tinted glass permits would be a small but powerful step in that direction.