The two bus terminals recently commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have remained locked more than three months after their commissioning, leaving commuters in Abuja to continue to face transportation challenges.
The multi-million naira projects were commissioned in June as part of activities to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term in office, reports Daily Trust.
The terminals are located in Kugbo, along the Abuja-Nyanya-Mararaba road, and in Mabushi, along the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua way.
The third terminal, located in the Central Business Area, is still under construction.
Our reporter, who has been tracking the project, reports that the Nyesom Wike-led FCT Administration conceived the terminals to address the chaotic transportation system in the nation’s capital.
In May 2024, Wike awarded the contract for the construction of the three modern bus terminals.
According to the minister, the move was intended to ensure a secure and convenient travel experience for FCT commuters, create job opportunities, and reduce insecurity, particularly “one chance” incidents, which he attributed to an uncoordinated transportation sector.
Our reporter, who visited the two completed terminals found that they were equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and were expected to operate 24 hours a day.
They were designed to process more than 10,000 passengers and accommodate 120 buses and taxis daily for both intercity and interstate travel.
The terminals were also designed to integrate commercial activities, including relaxation areas, amenities like cinema halls, food courts, and shopping malls.
However, nearly 100 days after their commissioning, the two terminals have not been put into use.
A cross-section of residents expressed disappointment over the continued closure of the terminals, especially as the activities of criminal elements like “one-chance” robbers, which the projects were meant to address, persist.
Mr. Joseph Iwalekun said he was disappointed that the transportation system in the FCT remains unchanged even after the commissioning of the much-talked-about bus terminals. “What was all the noise about then? Nothing has changed since the so-called commissioning. No buses, nothing. The two facilities have remained closed since then.”
Mrs. Ifeoma Job, a civil servant at the Federal Secretariat Complex, said, “When I heard that Wike was building those bus terminals, I thought something good would come out of it because of his antecedents in Rivers State, but now I’m disappointed. How can you commission something and still keep it under lock for more than three months? It is unfortunate because commuters’ suffering continues.”
Audu Yunusa, a resident of Bwari, commended the idea of the bus terminals but wondered why all the logistics were not put in place before commissioning them. “I understand that there are no buses yet, no proper arrangement to run those facilities despite spending millions, if not billions, to build them. Why commission what you are not ready to put into use? But that is Nigeria for you.”
Ikechukwu Nwochi, a retired transport executive, told Abuja Metro that the transport situation in Abuja is more complex than just building edifices.
He said it requires a carefully planned process involving private entities. “They have to go to Lagos to see how the government is managing arguably the once-cumbersome transport system in Africa,” he advised.
He said the FCT Minister’s approach is a step in the right direction but advised that it requires a deliberate and sustainable effort because it must involve the private sector.
Many residents who spoke with our reporter called on the minister to personally intervene and find a lasting solution to the public transport system in the nation’s capital.
Speaking with journalists on Monday about the state of the bus terminals, the Mandate Secretary for the FCT Transport Secretariat, Barr. Chinedu Elechi, said operations would commence fully once the procurement processes for private operators under a public-private partnership arrangement are concluded.
“If you go to Mabushi now, you’ll see that some of our vehicles are already arriving. The difference between government and private is bureaucracy. So once the procurement process is done on hiring the operator, we’re good to go,” he stated.
The Mandate Secretary appealed to residents to be patient, saying arrangements were ongoing to put the terminals to proper use with the aim of addressing the problems currently hindering an effective transport system in the FCT.
