The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, commissioned the newly completed Mabushi Transport Terminal, part of the administration’s plan to improve urban mobility and reduce insecurity in Nigeria’s capital.
At the commissioning ceremony, Wike emphasised that the terminal will not be managed by the government but by private concessionaires to ensure efficiency and sustainability.
“This will not be operated by the Transport Secretariat,” Wike said. “We are going to frame it up to people who are interested to run it. Because if it’s allowed in the hands of government, then the next day it will die.”
The terminal is one of three major hubs under development in the FCT, with Kugbo Terminal scheduled for commissioning next week, and a third terminal in the Central Business Area to follow later this year.
“We are building three bus terminals: one in Mabushi, one in Kugbo, and one in the Central Business Area,” Wike said. “The Kugbo terminal will also be commissioned next week.” “And one of the… Central Business Area… will be commissioned before the end of the… of the year. And thereafter, this year we are going to build one in Gwagwalada, one in Bwari and one in Kuje.”
Wike noted that the terminal system would greatly enhance security by tracking vehicles and registered drivers, a move aimed at tackling the notorious “one chance” crimes that have plagued FCT commuters.
“The essence of this is to, first of all, [improve] security,” he explained. “Here, you know those who are drivers, so that you know the vehicle you are boarding.” “Assuming you want to go to Bwari, you can come here or you can go to Kugbo, we know the bus that you have boarded. And even when you go from Bwari down to this place, the taxi driver will also take you to where you are going to. So that will reduce this incidence of one chance.”
He added that the terminal will also eliminate indiscriminate roadside parking by unauthorized transporters.
“We will not be having people parking on the road, you don’t even know who owns the vehicle,” Wike said.
The minister lamented that Abuja, despite being a major capital city, had never had a formal bus terminal until now.
“It is very unfortunate that a city like this has never had a bus terminal,” he said. “So we thank God that today our prayer has been able to be answered by God Almighty.”
Wike concluded by thanking members of the National Assembly for their support, stressing that the goal is for the terminal to operate on a 24-hour basis under a private, business-minded framework.
