Wike Plans to Ban Unpainted Taxis and Buses in FCT 

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration is planning to bar unpainted taxis and buses from operating on FCT roads.

Nyesom Wike announced this while speaking to reporters in Abuja. He explained that the move was to address the incidence of ‘one chance’ in the city. The minister added that stricter measures were necessary to end the trend in the FCT.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that “once chance” involves criminals posing as taxi drivers who rob, assault, and occasionally murder their unsuspecting passengers.

“We are not going to allow vehicles that are not painted with FCT colour and registered by the FCTA to ply commercial in the territory.

“That way, you know the driver is certified by the FCT, and the buses and the taxes were also approved by the FCT.

“When this is done, you, as the passenger, will not take the risk of going to enter any vehicle that you don’t even know,” he said.

The minister voiced concern that the capital territory does not have an official terminal where residents can go and board a bus to a specific destination.

Wike added that Uber operators would also need to register, be certified and be profiled by the security agencies to operate in Abuja so that the government would know who the drivers were.

“What we are trying to do in the 2024 fiscal year is to at least build three terminals for a start, so that we will know the buses and taxes that will carry people from such terminals.

“When this is done, nobody will take the risk of going on the road to wait for a taxi. That way, you will be able to reduce crime,” he added.