DVLA Chief Suggests Regulating ‘Goro Boys’ Operations

The Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey, has revealed plans to formalise the work of middlemen, popularly known as “goro boys,” who operate around DVLA offices.

Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, August 19, Mr. Kotey admitted that despite persistent efforts to clamp down on their activities, “goro boys” still exist within the system.

“We still have goro boys in the system. I proposed to formalise their work to bring them on board. Not to bring them on board as staff of DVLA, but to be able to control what they charge,” he said.

Mr. Kotey explained that previous administrations attempted to manage the situation through initiatives such as the “ultra centre,” which allowed agents to process documents on behalf of clients. However, many middlemen exploit the system by overcharging unsuspecting applicants.

“There’s a historical antecedent to that. We have something we call an ultra centre, introduced by the past administration. The goro boy takes your work, puts extra charge on it, and does the work for you. And takes the money, but I’m saying that the goro boy overcharges our clients. But before you can control how much they charge and what they charge, you must first be able to have some level of authority over them,” he added.

Outlining his proposal, the DVLA boss said the plan is to register and regularise their activities so that the Authority can monitor their operations and regulate fees.

“Register them, regularise their activities and determine how much they charge the public. We want to register them as agents. I’m a social democrat, I shouldn’t use semantics to separate the rich from the poor,” he stated.