To sanitise motor parks in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has handed over the popular Area 1 Motor Park to transport unions for effective management and operations.
Deborah Osho, the head of operation, Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), disclosed this during a clean-up exercise of the park in Area 1, Garki, Abuja.
Osho decried that the FCTA, last week, cleaned up the park only for it to be re-occupied by illegal activities and miscreants, forcing them to return for another cleansing.
According to her: “Last week, this park was cleared, but when we came back, we met the same kind of issues that made us clean it up in the first place.
“It was filled with car wash, mechanic and the whole dominated by miscreants.
“There’s a need for the park to be occupied and used, that’s why we invited the union to bring in their vehicles so that they can start using the place, instead of littering the streets with their vehicles.”
The DRTS official explained that the exercise, which would be replicated in all motor parks in Abuja, would assist in curbing issues of illegal parking along the road.
“Bringing them into the park will also help resolve the issue of insecurity in the city, particularly that of one-chance, which is already reducing.
“We have appealed to leaders of the unions to get their men to bring in their vehicles into the park and take possession of it.
“That’s what we are going to do to every taxi rank in the FCT.”
According to her, her team removed about ten vehicles from the park to create space for the transport unions to take over.
Abubakar Sadiq, the deputy national president, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, who took over the park on behalf of the operators, promised to run the park in line with the guidelines of the government.
He said: “All of us are now together in making sure our members operate according to guidelines provided by the government.
“We have shown now that we are mature enough to be able to coordinate and manage ourselves better”, which has given the government more confidence to give us this facility to run.
Sadiq, who is also chairman, All Transport Operators in FCT, however, expressed displeasure over certain happenings in the parks, regarding standards, as well as security, but assured the public of good and safe transport service from the motor parks.
