The Transportation Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has forged a strategic partnership with the National Union of Dispatch Riders and Mail Operators of Nigeria (NUDRMON) to fish out criminal elements operating under the guise of delivery services within the nation’s capital.
The Mandate Secretary of the Secretariat, Mr. Chinedum Elechi, made this disclosure during a high-level meeting with executive members of the union in Abuja.
Elechi explained that the collaboration was catalyzed by the union’s development of a comprehensive membership database, an online portal, and a unique identification numbering system designed to separate legitimate operators from unidentified miscreants.
Expressing deep concern over the prevalence of rogue dispatch riders utilizing delivery boxes to convey illicit items across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Elechi lauded the union’s leadership for pioneering the self-regulatory measure. He described the database as a vital tool for flushing out “the bad eggs” who tarnish the reputation of law-abiding practitioners.
“What is important is that you must collaborate and work very closely with the government,” Elechi said, pledging the unwavering support of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the transport secretariat. “With this initiative, now we can isolate the bad eggs because it is usually common to paint people with one brush. Our doors are open, and we are ready to work with you in whatever way. We can only protect those we have a relationship with.”
Earlier in his address, the National President of NUDRMON, Mr. Emmanuella Kwaghdega, noted that dispatch riding has blossomed into a critical economic mainstay for thousands of Nigerian youths, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He highlighted that members currently sustain vital logistics chains for restaurants, pharmacies, e-commerce platforms, financial institutions, and households daily.
Kwaghdega, however, lamented that the noble profession was grappling with severe headwinds, including security breaches, traffic violations, rising accidents, multiple operational levies, and a lack of unified identification—factors he warned were threatening the livelihoods of genuine operators.
“We realized that we cannot continue like this. If we want government to protect us, government must know us; if we want the public to trust us, the public must be able to identify us,” Kwaghdega stated, emphasizing the union’s operational mantra of “one ride, one identity, and one verifiable body number.”
According to the national president, the centralized data infrastructure will drastically curb criminality, boost public accountability, facilitate accident and welfare interventions, and grant government agencies reliable metrics for urban planning and traffic regulation. He added that the framework could eventually pave the way for harmonizing multiple operational permits.
Kwaghdega expressed optimism that with the FCTA fully embracing the initiative, the project transforms from a mere union agenda into an inclusive, cooperative solution addressing shared security and transit concerns across the capital city.
