The FCTA Administration has handed over the popular Area 1 motor park in Garki District of Abuja to transport unions for management and operations.
Head of Operation, Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Deborah Osho, disclosed this during a cleanup exercise of the park on Wednesday.
Osho said the Administration, last week, cleaned up the park only for it to be re-occupied by illegal activities and miscreants, forcing them to return for another exercise.
She said: “Last week, this park was cleared, but when we came back today, we met the same kind of issues that made us to clean it up in the first place.
“It was filled with car wash, mechanic and the place was been used by miscreants.
“There’s 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 10 vehicles out of the park alone to create space for the transport unions to take over.
Deputy National President, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq, who took over the park on behalf of the operators, promised to run the park in line with guidelines of 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.’’
