The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has ordered commercial transport operators operating from illegal parks and roadside locations across Abuja to relocate to designated bus terminals or face immediate shutdown and vehicle impoundment.
Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, issued the directive during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, stating that the move stems from a direct mandate given by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to restore order, decency, and security to the nation’s capital .
Elechi warned that all unauthorised loading points would be shut down and non-compliant vehicles impounded without further notice. He recalled that the administration had earlier directed transport operators to move to fully operationalise ultra-modern bus terminals, beginning with the facility in Mabushi .
“The Federal Capital City is the capital of Nigeria, just like London is to the UK or Paris to France. Our capital cannot be different. At the root of decency and a modern city is a functional public transportation system. The days of everybody doing what they like in the FCT are over,” Elechi declared .
The mandate secretary highlighted that the FCTA has invested billions of naira to construct the ultra-modern terminals in Mabushi, Kugbo, and the Central Business District, describing this as the first time in the FCT’s 50-year history that such state-of-the-art transit hubs have been developed .
Beyond enhancing the city’s aesthetic appeal and boosting tourism, Elechi emphasised that centralising transit operations within official terminals is vital to curbing criminality, particularly “one chance” robberies, drug trafficking, and arms movement .
He disclosed that a recent trial enforcement operation vindicated the administration’s aggressive stance, revealing highly illegal products discovered inside impounded vehicles operating from unauthorised locations . “What we saw was frightening. As such, proper profiling of operators at official terminals will dramatically reduce citywide insecurity,” he said .
To ensure efficient management of the bus terminals, the FCTA has partnered with private operators, including Planet Projects, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework .
Elechi dispelled rumours that the government intends to deprive transporters of their livelihoods, clarifying that operators are merely being relocated from hazardous roadside setups into fully equipped, secure facilities. “We are not taking food from anybody’s table. We are asking you to leave unsafe, unhealthy roadside locations for modern bus terminals built with government resources. Nobody is going to lose anything,” he said .
Expressing frustration over past non-compliance, the mandate secretary noted that despite previous impoundment of more than 100 vehicles—where defaulting drivers were released after signing undertakings—many operators routinely returned to illegal loading spots . “They sign an undertaking, and the next day they are back on the road. It is a cat-and-mouse game, and we are tired of it,” he warned .
Elechi stated that the secretariat is backed by Order 1 established under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and the Transportation Regulations of 2023, granting full legal authority to license operators, seal unauthorised private premises used as makeshift parks, and confiscate non-compliant vehicles .
With full backing from the FCT Minister and the Presidency, he vowed to maintain a zero-tolerance policy against illegal transport operations to restore order and safety to Abuja .
Discussion about this post