Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has expressed strong disapproval over the allocation of land designated for a bus terminal in Abuja’s Central Business District to politicians.
Speaking at the construction site of the Mabushi Bus Terminal, Phase I, in Abuja, Wike condemned the action as a gross distortion of the Abuja Master Plan.
The former Governor of Rivers State highlighted that the FCT Administration had initially planned to construct three bus terminals in the Central Business District, Mabushi, and Kugbo to provide secure and convenient travel for commuters. However, the land intended for the bus terminal in the Central Business District, where a train track was also supposed to pass, was allocated to a party member.
Wike revealed that during preparations for the project’s inauguration, he was confronted by a politician who claimed that the land had been unjustly taken from him despite his contributions to the party. “When we went there to start preparation for the inauguration project last Tuesday, I received a text that I had taken somebody’s land, and I was surprised,” Wike recounted. “In fact, in that text message, the person said, ‘after his sacrifices and inputs to the party, is this what he will suffer?'”
Upon investigation, it was discovered that the land had already been allocated, a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) issued, and a consent judgment entered between the FCTA and the individual. Wike used this incident to illustrate the challenges faced in maintaining the integrity of the FCT Master Plan. “This is just to let people know some of the things we face; how the Master Plan of the FCT had been distorted,” he noted.
The minister also lamented the lack of essential infrastructure in Abuja, which he argued prevents the city from achieving its potential as one of the best cities in the world. He particularly pointed out the absence of bus and taxi terminals, which forces people to park and board vehicles on the roads, contributing to insecurity and the proliferation of “one chance” criminal elements.
Wike explained that constructing bus and taxi terminals is part of efforts to reduce insecurity under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. “To reduce insecurity, we made a proposal to the National Assembly explaining that part of the security problem we are facing is because we have not been able to know who the people operating taxis and buses in FCT are and where they are loading from,” he said.
He emphasized that the Renewed Hope Agenda is not just about human capital development but also about empowering the people. “One of the things that people don’t understand about the Renewed Hope Agenda is that it is not just about human capital development; it is also about empowerment of our people,” Wike concluded.
