The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced sweeping reforms to Abuja’s public transportation system, alongside a firm commitment to enforce the city’s master plan and improve accountability in education funding.
Speaking during a media chat with journalists on Monday, Wike outlined a comprehensive plan to introduce an organised, regulated public transport network, involving buses and taxis operating through designated terminals across the city.
“In the new system, buses will convey passengers to central terminals, from where taxis will take them to their specific destinations,” he explained.
“But we won’t allow just anyone to operate. Every vehicle must be registered and painted in our official colour so the public can identify them easily.”
Wike emphasised the need for order and safety, noting that the era of unregulated, informal transport operators in Abuja would soon end.
He clarified that the government would provide the framework and infrastructure, while actual operations would be handled by private individuals. “We’re not running the buses ourselves. Private operators will do that. But the structure will be ours,” he said.
The project is expected to be inaugurated later this month by President Bola Tinubu, although Wike noted that the buses themselves would not roll out until 2025 due to procurement timelines.
The minister also addressed delays in executing parts of the city’s master plan, attributing them to community resistance and indecisiveness among officials.
“There’s a 600-metre stretch of road that should have been completed, but someone said, ‘the village is in the way.’ I asked, were they compensated? If they were, the road must pass,” Wike said.
“I didn’t draw the master plan, but I will enforce it. I’m ready to pay more compensation, but the road will go through.”
He criticised what he described as a lack of leadership courage, referencing the prolonged indecision over the fuel subsidy removal. “Everyone agrees the subsidy was a scam. But who had the courage to act? Leadership means taking decisions—right or wrong.”
Wike recounted a recent demolition he ordered shortly after returning from a trip to Milan. “That same morning, I said enough is enough. You’ve had all the time. We’re moving.”
The minister also revealed changes in the disbursement of funds for primary education in the FCT, citing misuse of resources by local authorities.
“We’re no longer giving the 10% education fund directly to area council chairmen. From now on, my treasurer will pay teachers directly through a committee,” Wike said, adding that the goal is to ensure funds actually reach the classrooms.
Defending the legality and necessity of the new approach, he said, “This is for the greater good. If we keep ignoring education, we’ll keep producing street children and militants—young people with no access to opportunity.”
Wike concluded with a message on leadership: “You can’t govern by avoiding decisions. Leadership requires the courage to act, even when it’s tough.”
Boluwatife Enome
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