We’ll Not Have Public Taxis On The Road – Wike Reveals New Plans For Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wik has disclosed that discussions were ongoing with private partners to ensure that operators of buses and taxi services in the FCT were registered and assigned operational routes for security reasons.

The minister also disclosed that the FCTA will soon begin the construction of bus terminals to serve the various routes in the FCT.

Wike disclosed this when he received the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Pieter Leenknegt, who paid a courtesy visit to the FCT Administration on Wednesday.

He said the project was at its procurement stage and work would commence as soon as the procurement process was concluded.

“We are also trying to build terminals for buses and taxis. For example, we will not have public taxis on the road. You must go to a particular terminal where passengers will be and where the drivers are identified,” he said.

“These are efforts we are putting in place to see that not only is it decent, but in terms of fighting insecurity and we believe by the grace of God, when we have the approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement, we believe in the next one month, construction ought to have started.”

On the issue of cattle herding in the city centre which the envoy also sought to understand the minister’s plans for improvement, Wike said the issue was a very sensitive one but added that discussions were ongoing amongst the various security agencies, the herders, and the FCT Administration while the herders are being educated on the need to keep cattle away from the city centre.