Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Nyesom Wike on Thursday flagged off the Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Programme in Abuja with the distribution of 80 vehicles to youths at no cost.
The Minister at a ceremony signalling the round-up of his nine days of project flag-offs in the city said that the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the lives of youths through the FCT Renewed Hope Youth Empowerment Initiative was genuine.
Wike said the vehicles—30 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), 30 7-seater Suzuki Minibuses, and 20 14-seater Hiace buses—would provide employment opportunities for the youth and also reduce the cost of transportation in Abuja.
The Minister said that the brand-new vehicles were being provided by the government at no cost to the beneficiaries from across the six Area Councils of the FCT to give them a source of livelihood.
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He therefore urged the beneficiaries to utilise the vehicles for the purpose for which they had been provided.
“These are brand new vehicles, and they are not paying a dime. We are not saying pay the government any money. The government is saying this is our support to make sure you have something to feed, to make sure you can support your family, and also to reduce the cost of transportation in the city,” Wike noted.
The FCT Minister also disclosed that the vehicles would be used as a pilot scheme to gradually phase out tricycle operations in parts of the Abuja city center, adding that more vehicles would also be procured to address possible shortages.
He said, “I’m not saying there will be no more Keke. No, you will go to certain areas. But for now, we will try to see the pilot scheme in Maitama, Guzape, and Asokoro. Let us see how it will work, and by the grace, it will work well because Mr. President means well for everybody”.
Wike who lamented that some of the tricycle and taxi operators in Abuja were informants to criminals, also disclosed plans to conduct security profiling of commercial buses and taxi operators within the FCT.
The Minister insisted that they must also operate with the Abuja taxi colour.
“From January next year, nobody will operate as a taxi driver or a bus driver without approval from the security, without security profiling you, and without the Abuja colour. So, there is nothing like using any vehicle on the road. From January, we will not allow that. We would have also brought in more vehicles so that we won’t have a shortage,” Wike said.
He charged the Mandate Secretary, Youth Development Secretariat, Hon Abdullahi Ango, with devising programmes and proposals that will benefit the youth, such as skill acquisition, stressing that he would not approve money for conferences that would not help the youth. The Minister also disclosed plans to revive the abandoned skills acquisition centre in Nyanya, Abuja, where youths could be trained in ICT and other areas.
The FCT Minister thanked President Tinubu for his overwhelming support for the administration saying all of its requests to the President have been approved and called on the youths to support the President and desist from any mischief.
Director of Press in the Minister’s office Anthony Ogunleye in a statement said that in their separate remarks, Senator David Jimkuta, Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, and Hon. Aliyu Betara, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT, acknowledged the transformative efforts of the FCT Minister in providing infrastructure and empowering the youth and pledged the continued support of the National Assembly for the FCT Administration.
Also speaking, former Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, commended the FCT Minister for the youth empowerment programme, saying that the gesture will not only empower the youths but will also give hope to other youths across Nigeria that someday, fortune will shine in their direction and they will be empowered.
