How Zuba motor park turned into mechanic workshops

Zuba, a major commercial hub in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is grappling with the absence of a functional central motor park despite hosting about six strategic markets. Located along key highways linking northwestern states and the southern part of the country, the town falls under Gwagwalada Area Council. Its strategic position earned it a […]

Zuba, a major commercial hub in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is grappling with the absence of a functional central motor park despite hosting about six strategic markets.

Located along key highways linking northwestern states and the southern part of the country, the town falls under Gwagwalada Area Council. Its strategic position earned it a pioneer motor park, reportedly built in 1986 by then FCT Minister, Hamza Abdullahi.

Findings by Abuja Metro show that the once-bustling motor park, constructed alongside shops that added commercial vibrancy to the facility, has gradually lost its relevance due to the emergence of parallel roadside terminals within the community.

As a result, most drivers have abandoned the park, leaving it largely occupied by mechanic workshops, makeshift stalls and a few struggling businesses.

Stakeholders who spoke to Abuja Metro attributed the decline to the park’s location, which they said is far from major roads where passengers typically alight.

An official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Abubakar Bello, explained that passengers arriving in Zuba often prefer boarding onward vehicles directly from the roadside rather than hiring motorcycles to access the motor park.

“Passengers come into Zuba from different parts of Abuja, but once they drop, they are reluctant to take motorcycles to the motor park. Instead, they join vehicles heading to places like Kaduna or Lokoja along the roadside, often at cheaper rates,” he said.

According to him, this trend has forced many drivers to relocate their operations to the roadside in search of passengers.

Bello added that successive administrations in Gwagwalada Area Council, including those of Isa Iga Dobi and Zakari Angulu Dobi, made efforts to return drivers to the park, but such attempts failed.

“Each time the authorities enforced compliance, drivers returned briefly, but within days, they drifted back to the roadside,” he said.

He further revealed that the situation worsened when neighbouring Tafa and Suleja local government areas in Niger State attempted to establish motor parks to attract traffic and revenue.

“That development left the council with little choice but to allow roadside operations to continue, to avoid losing revenue to neighbouring areas,” he added.

On his part, Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), FCT chapter, Musa Saidu Zuba, said the facility could still be revived with proper rehabilitation and improved access roads.

He urged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to include Zuba in ongoing township road projects and terminal developments, similar to those recently constructed in Kugbo and Mabushi.

Also speaking, an NURTW member, Jide Adesina, recalled the park’s vibrant past, noting that it once served multiple long-distance routes across the country.

“We used to have vehicles loading passengers to Kano, Minna, Sokoto, Kaduna, Ilorin, Ibadan, Lagos, Aba, Onitsha and Port Harcourt. Now, only two routes Akure and Ikare are still operating from the park,” he said.

A driver at the park, Prince Femi, expressed optimism that with political will and proper planning, the facility could be restored to its former status, even if not as the sole transport terminal in the town.