From January Next Year, Nobody Will Operate As A Driver Without Having Approval – Nyesom Wike

The Punch reports that Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has mandated that all commercial bus and taxi drivers in Abuja must acquire security clearance from the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) beginning in January 2025.

The rising number of kidnappings and « one-chance » robberies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is the motivation for this initiative, which seeks to make the entire region safer for commuters.

All commercial drivers will be required to have security clearance, according to Wike’s announcement, which he delivered at the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja.

The new policy prohibits drivers from operating within the FCT unless they successfully complete the security screening. In order for passengers to quickly reconnaître authorised vehicles, certified drivers are also required to show certains identifiers, such as Abuja’s official colour scheme.

As part of a larger effort to ensure the safety of Abuja’s public transport system, Wike emphasised the need of this clearance procedure. The FCTA intends to travailler avec la police pour réduire la likelihood de criminal incidents on public transportation routes et increase les riders’trust in the system’s security.

Authorities hope to lessen the likelihood of criminals abusing public transit by performing security profiling on every driver. With the goal of establishing a screening system by January, the FCTA, the Nigeria Police Force, and the DSS will need to travailler closely together to put cette strategy en action.

In order to make Abuja’s public transit system safer, the clearance process would include checking criminal records and verifying identity. Officials from the FCTA are hoping that crimes concernant transport will gradually go down now that this system is in place.

There has been an uptick in criminal activities involving Abuja’s public transit system, prompting the implementation of this new security mechanism. The Federal Cornerstone Transportation Authority (FCTA) is banking on the security clearance policy to make roads safer for everyone.

The government’s goal in implementing these regulations is to strengthen the public transport system, reduce the visibility of criminals, and discourage criminal activity in Abuja. « No one will operate as a taxi or bus driver starting January next year without security clearance, security profiling, and adherence to the Abuja colour scheme, » Wike announced.