Abuja passengers lament Jabi Motor Park filth

Users say Abuja’s largest bus and taxi terminal has been abandoned by the government since the upper class barely makes use of it.

 

The filthy state of the biggest taxi terminal in Abuja has become a source of concern for members of the public.

Some passengers in Abuja on Monday complained of how dirty the Jabi Motor Park in the Federal Capital Territory has become. The terminal is the biggest in the FCT, serving as the departure point for persons traveling out of the state by road.

Most of the passengers said that the park requires urgent attention from the FCT administration.

An Abuja resident, Sola Balogun, said he uses the park every other week since he has business interests in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

“I am telling you that the state of this park is unacceptable; does it mean that we cannot do anything right?” he said. “Must everyone own a car; can’t one enjoy decency in our public places anymore? It is really unfortunate,”

Another commuter, Amina Sule, trades in textiles and makes frequent trips to Abeokuta in Ogun State.

“It’s not that I have no car but I cannot drive all the way to Abeokuta and I had thought using a park is safer and better.

“What you see around the park, always, is appalling but one needs to move on; see how everywhere is littered with filth and the smell of urine oozing out from all angles,” Mrs. Sule said.

A taxi driver, Gbenga Akinola, who brings passengers to the park daily, also complained of the state of sanitation and general maintenance of the facility.

“The park is used only by people like you and me and not by the rich people; someone should care that this indiscriminate urination in the open can cause diseases,” Mr. Akinola said.

“Yes I see them sweeping at about 6 a.m. but they cannot maintain the cleanliness of the park for the whole day,” he dded.

Two members of the National Union of Road and Transport Workers, NURTW, Jabi Motor Park branch, said that the facility should lead the others in cleanliness and orderliness.

“In this park there are five points where toilet facilities are available, each with bathrooms and toilets; the place is clean but you must pay N10 to urinate, N30 to use the toilet and N40 to use the bathroom,” Abubakar Ustaz, a member of NURTW, said.

Another NURTW member, Mohammed Salifu, urged the government to revate the park so as to make money from it.

“It will also provide employment opportunity for the people,” Mr. Salifu said.

NAN