Police To Grant Security Clearance To Taxi And Bus Drivers – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has indicated that the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services will provide security clearance to commercial bus and taxi drivers in the FCT beginning January 2025.

Speaking at the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja on Thursday, Wike claimed that the goal is to put an end to kidnapping and ‘one-chance’ robbery in Abuja.

Wike stated that any commercial bus or taxi driver who has not been cleared by security services will not be permitted to work for the FCT.

He said, “Most of the Keke Napep and most of the motorcycles are informants. Everybody here who is a beneficiary is being profiled by security.

“And so what we are coming up with is that from January next year, there will be nobody that will operate as a taxi driver or a bus driver without having approval from security, with security profiling you and without going about with Abuja colour. Nothing like using any vehicle on the road. No, we won’t allow that. We won’t allow that starting in January.

“We will take the vehicle number, the names of the drivers, and the rest so everybody will have confidence that this is the vehicle I’m entering in case anything happens.”

Wike also handed out some new automobiles to the beneficiaries to operate as taxis, stating that many Nigerians who reject taxi driving jobs at home readily accept them when travelling overseas.

“They are not paying a dime. No, the government is saying this is our support to feed your family and reduce the cost of transportation in the city… Abuja should compete with other cities in the world,” he said.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli