Lagos to launch state-owned driver’s license

The Lagos State Government has concluded plans to introduce a state-owned driver’s license as part of efforts to improve road safety and traffic management across the state.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, disclosed this during the 2026 ministerial briefing commemorating the second-term anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu held in Alausa, Ikeja.

Osiyemi said the new license, which is being developed in collaboration with the Federal Government, would be launched within the next few weeks.

According to him, motorists will have the option of obtaining either the existing federal driver’s license or the new Lagos State-issued licence.

He explained that the initiative is aimed at ensuring quicker processing and issuance of licences, unlike delays often experienced under the current system.

Speaking further, the commissioner provided updates on the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) projects, particularly the proposed Green Line rail project.

He said the 68-kilometre Green Line would connect Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone through Victoria Island, Lekki, Ajah and Sangotedo, with about 17 stations along the route.

Osiyemi disclosed that the state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Harbour Engineering Company for the execution of the project.

According to him, the Green Line is designed to transport about 35,000 passengers per hour, while funding approval for the first phase has already been granted by the Federal Executive Council.

He noted that the project forms part of Lagos State’s broader rail expansion programme aimed at improving transportation and reducing traffic congestion across the metropolis.

The commissioner also gave updates on the LRMT Red Line project, a 37-kilometre rail corridor running from Marina through Oyingbo to Agbado along the Nigerian Railway Corporation route.

He said phase one of the Red Line is already operational and has been expanded with the procurement of 24 additional coaches arranged in three sets of eight-coach trains, each capable of carrying more than 500 passengers.

Osiyemi added that feasibility studies for phase two of the project, which will connect Oyingbo to the National Theatre and link with the Blue Line, are ongoing.