Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced that starting January 2025, all drivers in Abuja, including taxi, bus, and motorcycle operators, must have official security clearance and use only authorised vehicles with the standard Abuja colour scheme.
This measure is intended to boost security and ensure public confidence in transportation services by tracking operators more effectively.
Wike disclosed this on Thursday, during the launch of the Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja.
“Most of the motorcycles are informants. Everybody here, by the beneficiary, is being profiled by security. And so what we’re coming up from, from January next year, that nobody that will operate as a taxi driver, a bus driver, without having the approval from security, without security profiling you, and without going with Abuja colour.
“So nothing like using any vehicle on the road. No, we won’t allow that. We will not allow that,” he said.
The new policy will eliminate the use of unregistered private vehicles for commercial purposes, and individuals seeking to use their vehicles for public transport must go through police verification.
According to Wike, as reported by News Central, the goal is to make it easy for passengers to know the identity of the driver and vehicle they are using, making public transport safer and more reliable. In preparation, the government is bringing in more licensed vehicles to avoid service shortages.
“From January, we will not allow that. And because we will do that, we will have also brought in more vehicles, more vehicles, so that we will have shortage. Shortage.
“Those private individuals who want to have auto commercial activities, you must have to see them with the police, with the officers, who take the vehicle without the name of the driver’s address. So everybody will have that confidence. This is the vehicle I’m entering, in case anything happens,” he said.
Additionally, newly designated bus and taxi terminals are scheduled to open in January. These terminals will act as centralised boarding points for specific routes, meaning passengers will no longer wait along the roads but will instead go to assigned terminals.
For instance, those travelling to places like Bogoroba or Susoida will head to designated terminals, which will help regulate transport flows and further improve security.
“… by the time we commission the bus and taxi terminals, by January next year, by the grace of God, it will no longer be standing on the road. Everybody, you want to go to Bogoroba, this is the terminal you go to. You want to go to Susoida, this is the terminal you go to.
“So people know the vehicle you are entering. That will reduce the level of insecurity. We are going to give some time to the Keke NAPEP and the motorcycle people,” he said.
“Most of the keke napeps and motorcycle drivers are informants. Everybody who is a beneficiary is being profiled by security agents and so what we are coming up with from January next year is that nobody will operate as a taxi driver or bus driver without approval.”
