The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, announced that beginning in January 2025, all commercial buses in Abuja will undergo profiling by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Wike made this announcement during the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme held in the Garki area of Abuja on Thursday, where he also distributed 80 new cars to beneficiaries to be used as taxis.
“They are not paying a dime. No; the government is saying this is our support to feed your family and reduce the cost of transportation in the city… Abuja should compete with other cities in the world,” said the minister.
He urged the beneficiaries to take pride in their new roles as taxi drivers, noting that while many Nigerians might dismiss such jobs locally, they often embrace them eagerly when abroad.
To address issues of kidnapping and ‘one-chance’ robberies, the minister added that from January 2025, any commercial bus not officially profiled by security agencies will be prohibited from operating within Abuja.
Wike said, “Most of the Keke Napep and most of the motorcycles are informants. Everybody here that is a beneficiary is being profiled by the security.
“And so what we are coming up with is that from January next year, there will be nobody that will operate as a taxi driver or a bus driver without having approval from security, with security profiling you and without going about with Abuja colour.
“Nothing like using any vehicle on the road. No, we won’t allow that. From January, we won’t allow that.
“We will take the vehicle number, name of the drivers and the rest so everybody will have confidence that this is the vehicle I’m entering in case anything happens.”