Remembering the Nyanya Bomb blast: Nyanya temporal high capacity bus terminal reopened
The Nyanya temporal high capacity bus terminal, which was shut in April 2014 following multiple bomb blasts that led to the death of many people, was reopened on Tuesday, July 4.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) acting secretary, transportation secretariat, Alhaji Abdulhamid Suleiman, while reopening the terminal, said since the closure of the terminal, the commuters from Nyanya axis were subjected to untold hardship as a result of absence of a clearly defined terminal.
According to him, commuters board vehicles along the road thereby exposing themselves to further threat to their lives.
He said that the vicinity around the bombed terminal where commuters converge to board vehicles was always congested thereby causing heavy vehicular gridlocks.
“The closure of the terminal also impacted negatively on the terminal operator manager, Mr Isiaka Babanagode, who was out of operation all these while and equally spent substantial amount in rebuilding this site.
“The journey to the reopening of this terminal was challenging. Various security meetings were held to determine the various implications or otherwise of its reopening,’’ he said.
The acting secretary said that various security meetings favoured the reopening and that is what resulted to the reopening.
Suleiman assured the commuters that the terminal is safe for use, adding that all necessary security measures have been put in place to ensure their safety.
“The law enforcement agents have been fully mobilised to ensure all round security of the commuters in and around the terminal. “I want to commend the law enforcement agents who had kept vigil at the site since April 2014 when the bombs scattered this place.
“Your effort is what kept the enemy away from this vicinity. Please, your activities have to increase as this terminal resumes full operation,’’ he added.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) acting secretary, transportation secretariat, Alhaji Abdulhamid Suleiman, while reopening the terminal, said since the closure of the terminal, the commuters from Nyanya axis were subjected to untold hardship as a result of absence of a clearly defined terminal.
According to him, commuters board vehicles along the road thereby exposing themselves to further threat to their lives.
He said that the vicinity around the bombed terminal where commuters converge to board vehicles was always congested thereby causing heavy vehicular gridlocks.
“The closure of the terminal also impacted negatively on the terminal operator manager, Mr Isiaka Babanagode, who was out of operation all these while and equally spent substantial amount in rebuilding this site.
“The journey to the reopening of this terminal was challenging. Various security meetings were held to determine the various implications or otherwise of its reopening,’’ he said.
The acting secretary said that various security meetings favoured the reopening and that is what resulted to the reopening.
Suleiman assured the commuters that the terminal is safe for use, adding that all necessary security measures have been put in place to ensure their safety.
“The law enforcement agents have been fully mobilised to ensure all round security of the commuters in and around the terminal. “I want to commend the law enforcement agents who had kept vigil at the site since April 2014 when the bombs scattered this place.
“Your effort is what kept the enemy away from this vicinity. Please, your activities have to increase as this terminal resumes full operation,’’ he added.
He called on the commuters to make maximum use of the terminal, saying “do not hang along the road to board vehicles as doing so amount to a violation of our traffic rules.’’
The acting secretary noted that all high capacity buses along the route are to pick their passengers inside the terminal and finally discharge them at the terminals located within the city centre.
Suleiman said that law enforcement agents have been mobilised to arrest and prosecute any commuter who will hang along the road to board bus.
“The law enforcement agents have also been mobilised to arrest any low capacity bus or unregistered taxi drivers who may want to circumvent the efforts of the FCT Administration at sanitising the public transportation sector,’’ he said.
Also speaking, the terminal operator, Alhaji Isiaka Babanagode said before the April 2014 bomb blast his company expended N25 million on the construction of the terminal.
“Since the blast to today, we have spent over N50 million to rebuild the place by providing CCTV and other things to make it more secured.
“Apart from the Nigerian Army personnel posted here, there are other security agents including Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Vehicle Inspection Officers and private security guards.
“The terminal is well fortified with security fence wire and also by dividing the terminal between the low capacity buses and taxis terminal,’’
According to Babanagode, the Public Private Partnership arrangement between his company and FCTA was such that the company will go with 70 per cent while 30 per cent goes to FCTA as sharing formula.(NAN)
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