The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced that, beginning in January 2025, all commercial buses operating in Abuja will be required to undergo a profiling exercise conducted by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
This measure is part of a broader effort to enhance security and better regulate commercial transportation within the nation’s capital.
Minister Wike made this announcement during the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme held in Abuja on Thursday. As part of this program, Wike distributed new cars to several beneficiaries to support youth empowerment, providing them with resources to earn a living as taxi drivers within the FCT. He emphasized that the initiative not only aims to improve public transportation but also seeks to support young people in building sustainable livelihoods.
The profiling of commercial buses, according to Wike, will contribute to a safer and more organized transportation network in Abuja. He explained that this measure aligns with the government’s efforts to ensure the security and welfare of all residents. By collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS, the FCT administration seeks to create a system that is more secure and efficient for both drivers and passengers.
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 encouraged the beneficiaries not to be ashamed that they are being empowered to be taxi drivers, saying that many Nigerians who reject taxi driving jobs at home gladly embrace such when they travel abroad.
To curtail kidnapping and cases of ‘one-chance’ robbery, the minister said effective January 2025, any commercial bus not duly profiled by security agencies won’t be allowed to operate within the nation’s capital.
“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,” he added.
