NLC Advises FCT To Reverse Ban On Mini-buses

The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwahed Omar has advised the Federal Capital Development Authority to immediately withdraw the ban on mini-buses in the nation’s capital.

The labour leader in a statement issued on Wednesday, noted that “until there are enough of the long buses accessible to commuters in the satellite towns. The ban must be reversed as it is completely anti people, ill-timed and threatens peace and socio economic development as workers may lose their jobs if they are unable to report for work on schedule while the mini bus drivers and their assistants who may lose their means of livelihood may find it difficult to survive.”

The labour body expressed its displeasure at the abrupt disruption of public transportation in the FCT since Monday, saying that it has led to “loss of man-hours at several workplaces as well as truncation of the means of livelihood of several artisans and commuter bus drivers in the Federal Capital.”
“This has greatly affected movement of workers and artisans whose workplaces are located in the main city as over 90% of those who work in the Federal Capital Territory live in the suburbs, called satellite towns far from the city centre where their workplaces are located” it added.
The Federal Capital Development Authority’s Transport Secretariat on Tuesday, effected the ban on mini buses plying the city centre because of its plan to introduce long buses
This, the NLC argues is “not enough to abruptly stop the mini buses when the FCDA is yet to provide enough of those long buses it intends to introduce.”
“No matter how plausible a policy is, government must learn to get the people involved in all the process leading to the introduction of such policies that directly affects the lives of the people”.
“We are convinced the FCT lacks enough commercial buses and what is needed urgently is the provision of more commercial buses and not an abrupt ban on any of the existing ones” the statement concluded.