The suffering starts after.

Someone studies the manual. Learns the signs. Practices with a friend or instructor. Finally feels ready. Confidence full. Documents ready. Mind prepared.

Then the process begins.

First office says go to second office. Second office says come back after payment. Payment portal works for some people, fails for others. Receipt prints faint. One digit looks wrong. Nobody agrees if it matters.

Queue forms without announcement. Nobody knows where it starts. Everybody claims position with confidence.

Capture room closes early. Network down. Come tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes with new instruction.

Bring photocopy. Bring original. Bring passport photo even though they will capture photo. Sit down. Stand up. Wait. System slow today.

Nobody shouts. Everyone sighs.

The strange part is this.

Every step looks small alone. Together they become punishment.

Biometrics here. File there. Approval somewhere else. Card printing in another location entirely. A “digital” process that still depends on paper movement.

Then agents appear.

They move smoothly. They know names. They enter side doors. People who arrived later finish earlier. No explanation needed. Everyone understands the pattern.

Anger rises. Then acceptance follows.

Most people are not even trying to cheat the system. They only want the system to stop wasting their time.

Population grows. New drivers increase yearly. Processing speed stays almost the same. Backlog becomes culture.

So the experience turns into a test of endurance, not qualification.

People now prepare mentally for license processing the way they prepare for visa applications. Snacks. Power bank. Flexible schedule. Low expectations.

The irony stays funny.

The road test checks if someone can handle traffic.

The office test checks if someone can handle Nigeria.

One skill helps you drive.

The other helps you survive the process.