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Commercial transport operators in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) received a boost on Tuesday as the Drivers’ Care Initiative, a welfare-driven project of Transporters for Tinubu 2027, hosted an extensive outreach programme at Jabi Motor Park, Abuja, focusing on health screening, substance abuse prevention and access to soft financing.

The programme, held as part of a nationwide schedule running from February 26 to March 6, 2026, aligns with efforts to strengthen operational standards, safety culture and financial sustainability within Nigeria’s road transport sector.

Declaring the event open, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Transportation, Dr. Elechi Chinedum, described transportation as the backbone of economic activity and social mobility, stressing that drivers remain indispensable to national productivity.

“When they told me about this programme, I was very happy,” he said. “When we discuss transportation in my office, we all know it is the most important aspect of our lives. Imagine when there’s no transportation. How can we get here? How can people come to Jabi Park? How can people go from Jabi Park to Gombe, to Abia State?”

He emphasised that transport systems underpin commerce, inter-state trade and workforce mobility, making drivers critical actors in Nigeria’s economic architecture.

“The work you people are doing is so important, whether by road, air or sea. Transportation is very important. That is how important the work you people do is,” he stated.

Dr. Chinedum acknowledged structural challenges in the sector but reiterated government’s commitment to collaboration.

“No single government can do everything, but as much as we can, government will be trying its best,” he said. “If there is a problem, let us find how to solve it. Our office is open to you any time at all to take issues and deal with matters.”

He assured operators that unresolved concerns would be escalated through appropriate administrative channels. “The one we cannot solve, we will take it to the Minister. I’m sure the one the Minister cannot solve, he will take it to the President. The point is that we are partners — partners in progress.”

Highlighting ongoing infrastructure upgrades in Abuja, the Mandate Secretary pointed to the construction of modern bus terminals and road rehabilitation as strategic interventions aimed at reducing vehicle maintenance costs and improving passenger experience.

“Any city that doesn’t have good roads, the people that feel the impact first are the transporters, because every day you are changing shock absorbers and other parts due to bad roads,” he noted. “As we keep building more terminals, we’ll be modernising the parks.”

On safety compliance, he urged drivers to prioritise periodic health checks and avoid substance abuse. “Do your eye test. If you need glasses, get glasses. If you drink, don’t drive. Nobody should do drugs because it will destroy your life,” he warned before formally declaring the programme open.

In her opening address, the Programme Coordinator of Transporters for Tinubu 2027, Mrs. Chinwe Uwaegbute, said the outreach was structured to recognise the economic value chain anchored around motor parks and commercial drivers.

“We know the importance of every driver and everybody that works in every motor park,” she said. “It is because of you that motor parks are organised. It is because of you that people can travel.”

She commended the operational coordination at Jabi Motor Park, disclosing that vehicles from the park service all 36 states of the federation.

“It is not an easy job; it is an important job that you are doing,” she said. “You are not only safeguarding human beings, you are also safeguarding the properties of people that come in here. People come in here and they are safe, they are happy.”

According to her, the Drivers’ Care Initiative integrates three primary support pillars: free eye testing and care, sensitisation on drug abuse in partnership with relevant agencies, and guidance on accessing cooperative-based soft loans to strengthen transport businesses.

Also addressing participants, the National Coordinator of Transporters for Tinubu 2027, Prince Segun Obayendo, reaffirmed the group’s long-standing engagement with transport unions and reiterated that drivers’ welfare remains a strategic priority. He urged participants to leverage the health and financial services provided.

Representatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were present to reinforce anti-drug advocacy, while leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), including the FCT Chairman, Prince Karshi Dauda Abdulkadri, commended the organisers and encouraged members to take full advantage of the programme.

For stakeholders in Abuja’s transport economy, the outreach signalled a growing alignment between public policy, union leadership and private advocacy groups to enhance safety standards, reduce operational risks and expand financial inclusion within the commercial transport ecosystem.