The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that his administration will take a firm decision on commercial motorcycle operators commonly known as Okada when buses are provided as alternative.
The minister also said that the issue of open grazing in the FCT would be addressed after due consultation with the herdsmen.
Wike, who stated these while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja, acknowledged the ban on commercial motorcycles from operating within the city centre, and that a firm decision on the violators was yet to be taken because the FCT Administration was yet to provide buses as alternative means of transportation within the city.
Wike explained that the FCTA was yet to take a firm decision because it has not been able to provide the public transport buses that will be the alternative for commuters in Abuja city centre.
“It is within the government’s responsibility to provide the alternative and then ask the motorcycle operators to leave the city centre. This is so that you don’t ask them to leave, and people will be suffering; no,” he said.
On the problem of open grazing in Abuja, the minister said that cows would be allowed to graze in the suburbs, but not in the city centre.
“Before we take any decision, we will do proper consultation so that nobody will say you never alerted them, you never interacted with them before you took that decision.
“We are going to call the cattle people to sit with them. We cannot allow things to go on like this. We did not say that there would be no cattle in Abuja but within the city. Like I said, we will take it one after the other.
“You know Nigerians are used to ‘nothing will happen’. Just like when we talk about land revocation and payment of ground rent, people say it will not happen, but it has happened.
“Even you journalists disseminating the information, you must disseminate the information in such a way that you are not trying to cause crisis between the government and members of the public,” Wike stated.
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