The three ultra-modern bus terminals being constructed by the Wike led administration in the FCT has generated over 3,000 direct jobs, according to the Project Manager of the company handling the projects.
On a visit to the three sites in Kugbo, Mabushi, and the city centre in the Federal Secretariat, the Project Manager of Planet Project Nig. Ltd, Rasheed Sholadoye, noted that 3,000 skilled and unskilled artisans and security workers were being engaged on sites.
The Minister, Nyesom Wike, inaugurated the construction of three bus and taxi terminals in the FCT in July 2024 to ease transportation and check security concerns like ‘one chance’ and kidnapping.
Sholadoye explained that one of the conditions in the contract was for the company to employ residents to execute the project as part of the FCT Administration’s strategy for job creation.
“FCT residents have enjoyed enormously from this project. We have employed a whole lot of them. You know it’s a construction site, and certain workers will be needed at certain stages of the construction.
“It’s difficult to give you an exact number, but more than 3,000 residents have been engaged, and more will be employed as the work progresses,” he said.
The project manager expressed optimism that the projects were still on track despite the delay and would be delivered as scheduled.
He disclosed that the Mabushi bus terminal has reached 92 percent completion, the one in Kugbo is currently at 85 percent completion, and that of the Central Area is about 50 percent.
“Hopefully, with our schedule and programme of work, by the grace of God, the terminals in Mabushi and Kubo will be ready for inauguration by the end of February.
“On the other hand, the one in Central Area will be ready in May. The projects encompass commercial activities in all the terminals, including cinema halls, where people can relax while waiting for their bus.
“We are bringing state-of-the-art facilities, especially in the Central Area. It will be a terminal that the people of Abuja will love to see and enjoy,” he said.
Some workers on site commended Wike for putting food on their table.
One of them, Happiness Johnson, who lives in Kubwa, said the project has provided him with a stable job.
Johnson, who thanked Wike for mandating the contractor to employ residents, said that the steady means of income has significantly improved his standard of living.
On her part, a 31-year-old mother of four, Abigail Daniel, a cleaner at the Mabushi terminal, expressed optimism for a brighter future as a worker in the facility.
Daniel said she worked as a house help but lost the job when her employer travelled out of the country.
“Life was difficult for me and my children until I got this job. I am grateful to the FCT minister for making this happen for me,” she said.
