The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed that tricycles, popularly known as Keke Napep, and commercial motorcycles (Okada) will not be permitted to operate within the Abuja city centre.
The Minister said the continued ban was necessary because the operations of Keke Napep and Okada pose a significant security threat to residents of the nation’s capital.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike maintained that the operators had become a nuisance and a security concern.
He said, “You talked about Keke Napep and Okada. Just this morning, I signed the approval following a Security Council meeting, where we agreed that they not only constitute a nuisance but have also become a security threat.
“I have directed the security agencies to identify areas where we do not need Keke Napep and motorcycles to operate. However, it would be difficult to impose a total ban across the entire Federal Capital Territory.”
The Minister also said destitute persons and beggars would not be allowed to remain on the streets of the capital, stressing that the FCT administration could not continue to provide accommodation for them.
According to him, “We are working on that and only require approval to provide the necessary logistics. Even destitute persons and beggars are everywhere. Each time we remove them, they return.
“Some people ask why we do not provide accommodation for them. How can we continue to do that? It would simply encourage more people to come from Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Kaduna States. How would we sustain such an arrangement financially?”
