By Ben Adoga
The FCT transportation secretariat has moved against touts who harass motorists along FCT highways and frowned at the alleged connivance of some of the licensed taxi and terminal operators in the ugly practice.
Ifeanyi Ughamadu, deputy director, [information] in the secretariat, said the decision was taken after a meeting with licensed taxi operators.
The acting secretary, transportation secretariat, Usman Musa Yahaya, charged operators that government would not hesitate to invoke the sanctions as contained in the Provisional Operators License given to them where any is found to be operating outside the rules of engagement.
The secretariat directed the operators to immediately withdraw all the touts they allegedly stationed along the roads and who harass motorists and other road users. They were also directed to stop using the highways as their parks and also to stop picking passengers on the fast lanes of the express ways.
The secretariat also frowned at the collaboration the operators offered unpainted taxis, popularly known as kabu-kabu, saying that any unpainted or unlicensed taxi operator caught operating taxi services within the city would be forced to register with any of the licensed operators and the car painted in chosen licensed operator’s official colour code at his own expense.
He reemphasised that it was illegal to operate public transport services in the FCT without obtaining operator’s License from the Secretariat just as Courier Service providers and all on-line transport operators were required to key into FCTA Operators License platform for lawful operation within the territory.
He assured the residents that transportation secretariat would not allow acts of hooliganism in the guise of unionism in and out of all our terminals, insisting that Abuja was a city established by laws which must be respected and obeyed.