The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), under the watch of Nyesom Wike as FCT Minister, in May 2024 awarded the contract for the construction of three modern bus terminals in Mabushi, Kugbo and Central Area.
The construction of the bus terminals in Mabushi and Kugbo commenced in July 2024, while that of Central Area commenced two months later.
The bus terminals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were to be fitted with state-of-the-art facilities that would operate for 24 hours, as a capital city like Abuja truly deserves.
Mabushi and Kugbo bus terminals were designed to process more than 10,000 passengers each daily and were also designed to accommodate 120 buses and taxis each daily, for both intercity and intra-city travels.
The bus terminals will feature integrated commercial activities, including areas for relaxation, amenities such as cinema halls where commuters can unwind, and other essential services like food courts and shopping malls.
The move, according to the minister, is to ensure a secure and convenient travel experience for commuters in the FCT and create job opportunities for the residents—above all, to reduce insecurity incidents related to the uncoordinated transportation sector known as ‘one chance’ in common parlance.
In the course of the construction of the bus terminals, Sunday Tribune spoke to some of the workers at the sites, who lauded the initiative and lauded Wike for putting food on their table.
One of them, a 29-year-old welder, Mr. Happiness Johnson, who lives in Kubwa, said the project had provided him with a stable job.
Johnson, who thanked Wike for mandating the contractor to employ residents, said that the steady means of income significantly improved his standard of living.
On her part, 31-year-old mother of four, Mrs. Abigail Daniel, a cleaner at the Mabushi terminal, expressed optimism for a brighter future as a worker in the facility. Daniel said she was working as a house help but lost the job when her employer travelled out of the country.
During the visit, Sunday Tribune also spoke to the contractor of the bus terminals and, true to the promise of the FCT Administration to patronize local contractors, the contract was awarded to an indigenous company, the Planet Projects.
Mr. Rasheed Sholadoye, the Project Manager, Planet Terminals, the company executing the projects, told Sunday Tribune that the company engaged 3,000 workers, comprising both skilled, unskilled artisans and security.
Sholadoye said that part of the conditions in the contract required the company to employ residents in the execution of the project as part of the FCT Administration’s strategy for job creation.
He said: “FCT residents have enjoyed enormously from this project. We have employed a whole lot of them. You know it’s a construction site and certain workers will be needed at certain stages of the construction.
“It’s difficult to give you an exact number but more than 3,000 residents have been engaged and more will be employed as the work progresses,” he said.
Recently, the Mabushi and Kugbo terminals came to fruition and were included in the projects lined up in a 17-day schedule for the inauguration of projects executed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), under the watch of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to mark the second anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Planet Project Ltd, Biodun Otunola, on Thursday, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Kugbo bus terminal by President Tinubu, said both terminals were designed to process more than 10,000 passengers each daily.
He added the terminals can accommodate 120 buses and taxis each daily, for both intercity and intra-city travels. He, however, said that the terminal under construction in the Central Business District (CBD) was different, adding that it was essentially designed for intracity operations.
“We can take over 120 buses here and we’ve designed this place such that it can handle up to 10,000 passengers every day. It’s the same thing with the one in Mabushi as well. The same concept, but the one at CBD, which is the third one, is a bit different.
“The one at CBD is essentially for the city operation within Abuja, while Mabushi and Kugbo are designed to run intracity and intercity operations,” he said.
On job opportunities, Mr. Otunola said that each of the three terminals would employ at least 100 persons.
He explained that people would be in the security department, some in the ticketing department, others in facility management, control room, electrical department, mechanical department, maintenance department, and bus control.
“It’s very huge. It’s like running a mini airport,” he said.
He, however, said that based on needs assessment, the FCT would need at least 12 bus and taxi terminals to cover significant parts of the territory.
“We will need one in Gwagwalada, one in Kuje, in Gwarinpa, and Lugbe, including the city centre in places like Area 1, Area 3 in Garki, Wuse and other strategic locations,” he said.
He commended Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for giving Planet Project, a local contractor, the opportunity to showcase its capacity to execute world-standard bus terminals for the residents of the territory.
“I feel very happy that the Nigerian government is beginning to trust its own people to do the right thing and to execute this kind of project.”
During the inauguration of Mabushi and Kugbo by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the 17th and 26th of June respectively, Wike reiterated that the real essence of the project was to enhance security by reducing the number of unauthorized vehicles, thereby reducing congestion on the roads.
He, however, said: “This terminal will not be operated by the FCT Transport Secretariat. Instead, we will concession it to private operators who will run it efficiently.
“The terminal will operate 24 hours a day, providing commuters with a safe and comfortable space to wait for their buses. There will be amenities such as food courts, restrooms, and entertainment facilities.
“I wonder how, since the creation of Abuja, and a city, a capital city of a country, we cannot have an organized transport system. We don’t have terminals where somebody can say, I’m going to a certain place. Now, we are going to build another one in Bwari and Gwagwalada. So that, if you are coming to the city, you know that you are safe. If you lose any of your items, you know the vehicle you boarded. That is the way it is all over the world.
“Mr. President, I want to say, government is not a big business person. This will not be run by the transport secretariat. No, no, no. It will be managed by private persons who have the idea to run this kind of business. And they pay us revenue. So, as the Mandate Secretary of Transportation, you have no business here. So, all this grammar the Mandate Secretary of Transportation has said, please, your job ends today. You have finished your job. It will now be run by private people. So that we can talk of how it will be sustained. Because if you allow government, civil servants, politicians to do this, I can tell you in two weeks’ time, it will die.”
President Tinubu, on his part, during the inauguration of the Mabushi bus terminal on the 17th of July, commended Wike’s commitment to providing first-class infrastructure for Abuja, evident in the quality and speed of project delivery.
He also opined that beyond the immediate benefits of organized transport and heightened security, the project will also serve as a powerful engine for economic empowerment.
According to the president, “With the completion of the Mabushi Bus Terminal and the Kugbo terminal, which I have been informed is also ready for commissioning, we are taking decisive steps to bring order, accountability, and safety to public transportation.
“As we inaugurate the Mabushi Bus Terminal, we are not just opening a building; we are opening a new chapter for public transportation in Abuja. We are reaffirming our promise to provide a city where citizens can live, work, and commute with dignity, safety, and efficiency. This is a clear demonstration that our Renewed Hope Agenda is not merely a slogan, but a lived experience for our people.
“I urge all residents and transporters to make full use of this facility, to cooperate with the authorities, and to embrace this new era of organized and secure public transit.”
On Thursday, while inaugurating the newly completed Kugbo bus terminal, President Tinubu said: “The decision of my administration to prioritise high-impact transportation infrastructure, among which is this bus and taxi terminal, is based on the undeniable fact that no nation around the world has been recorded to have made any noticeable progress without modernization and expansion of its critical public mobility and public utilities.
“As encapsulated in the renewal agenda of my administration, my solemn promise to rebuild and revitalize our nation’s infrastructure, enhance the lives of Nigerians, create an environment where security and efficiency become the order of the day, are being fulfilled, one significant step at a time.
“You will all agree with me that the Mabushi and now Kugbo International Bus Terminals meet global standards and global principles of sustainable urban development in the area of transportation, and automatically erase these ugly experiences of chaotic public transportation in our capital city, previously fraught with challenges.
“The terminals align with development goals of transit-oriented cities with smart mobility, compact living spaces, parking management, winning support of stakeholders and citizens, and ultimately transforming lives.
“We heard your concerns. We understood your fears. And we acted. With your compliance, you will no longer suffer from ‘one chance’ by the roadside.”
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