Move to approved bus terminals or face shutdown — FCTA warns operators

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has directed commercial transport operators using illegal parks and roadside loading points across Abuja to relocate to approved bus terminals or face enforcement action. The warning was issued on Thursday by the Mandate Secretary of the FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Chinedum Elechi, during a press briefing in Abuja.

Elechi said the administration would begin shutting down all unauthorised loading points and impounding vehicles that fail to comply with the directive. He explained that transport operators had earlier been instructed to begin operating from the government-built bus terminals, starting with the facility in Mabushi.

According to him, the decision follows the directive of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to improve order, safety and proper transportation within the nation’s capital. He said Abuja should have a transport system that reflects its status as the country’s capital city, adding that roadside loading activities would no longer be tolerated.

The mandate secretary disclosed that the FCTA had invested heavily in the construction of modern bus terminals located in Mabushi, Kugbo and the Central Business District. He described the facilities as the first of their kind in the history of the FCT and said they were built to provide a safer and more organised transport system.

Elechi stated that moving transport activities into approved terminals would also help security agencies tackle crimes often linked to illegal motor parks. He noted that offences such as the notorious “one chance” robberies, drug trafficking and the movement of illegal weapons are easier to combat when transport operators are properly registered and monitored within designated terminals.

He revealed that a recent enforcement exercise led to the seizure of several vehicles and the discovery of illegal items during inspections. According to him, the findings strengthened the administration’s resolve to end the use of illegal loading points across the city.

To ensure proper management of the terminals, the FCTA has entered into partnership with private firms through a Public-Private Partnership arrangement. Elechi said the objective is not to deprive transport operators of their businesses but to relocate them from unsafe roadside locations into secure and well-equipped facilities provided by the government.

He also expressed concern that many operators who previously had their vehicles impounded returned to illegal parks after signing undertakings to obey the rules. He warned that the administration would no longer tolerate repeated violations.

Elechi explained that the Transport Secretariat has the legal authority under existing regulations to license transport operators, seal private premises being used as illegal motor parks and impound vehicles that fail to comply with the law.

He added that the enforcement exercise has the full support of the FCT Minister and the Presidency, while assuring residents that the administration would continue efforts to restore order, improve safety and strengthen the public transport system in Abuja.