Twenty-five years after the FCT Administration initially resisted the concept, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has finalized preparations to move the largest mechanic village in Abuja, known as Apo Mechanic Village, to a permanent location.
He stated that there was no such command and refuted rumors that the mechanic village’s occupants had been given a deadline to vacate or face demolition.
In addition, he admonished authorities against using nepotism to assign stores.
Thousands of car mechanics, spare part merchants, and other ancillary service providers would be moved from their existing location along the road corridor to a larger permanent facility in the Wasa district, which would just be a fifteen-minute drive away.
Chief Felix Obuah, the Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency (AMMC), represented the minister at the inaugural meeting of a 19-member technical committee on the relocation of auto technicians from Apo to Wasa. He stated that the technicians had been afraid of their current location being demolished for years and had lost hope.
He noted that in order to allow for the extension of the highways, the Wike-led Administration has chosen to first create a better alternative and guarantee an orderly migration before demolishing the existing site.
Obuah stated: “You will recall that two weeks ago, we had a meeting to see how we could relocate the Apo mechanic who had been operating on the right of way.
“We have set up a technical committee to go into Wasa and Apo to enumerate who and who we are relocating. This is what we have done today, at the end of that we will be able to give an accurate time when we are going to relocate them.
“I have handed over some of the things they need, most of these people are still coming even as of now. When you think you have finished, others are coming they have over twenty, thirty thousand people and we have to be sure that this number they are brandishing exists. We have to verify and open a database to make sure that everybody we are allocating is actually on the road corridor.
“We are not doing this as a bazaar so that those who have lost hope that do not have anywhere to trade at the road corridor, right of way, we are now relocating them to a permanent place, removed from the road corridor.
“It is the hope that was lost that Mr President through the Minister has restored but I am assuring you this thing will not take more than three months for all these things to be done. It has to do with technical, engineering, allocation, and resettlement so it is not a day’s work. We have to build a prototype that other people can also follow up. It is not an easy thing.
“We want to make sure that Abuja wears its status as the capital of Nigeria and so the Minister gave approval that those occupying the right of way should leave so that construction can start in that area.
“As a man who has human feelings, he felt that there is no need moving in to chase the people without providing an alternative. It was on that note that a better place that take care of this set of people was provided in Wasa.
“In making sure that we relocate all of them, we invited them for a meeting and let them know our intentions. We cannot do that without also bringing the relevant teams who will help us to achieve this to make sure that there is no problem.
“That is why we have decided to inaugurate a technical committee that will see to the efficient relocation of these people. That is why we have invited all the technical teams so that by the time we start, we will be able to handle any challenge that may arise.
“We are inaugurating a 19-member technical team drawn from Development Control, Abuja Environment Protection Board AEPB and Urban Affairs. Others are Resettlement and Compensation, General Counsel and Legal Services; Lands; Urban and Regional Planning, Mapping and Surveying, Finance and Administration, and Directorate of Road Traffic Services DRTS/VIO among others.
“The shops are not to be allocated to our girlfriends, our uncles, our sisters or relations. That is why the first term of reference is the enumeration of eligible persons.
“We will do our best to ensure that the people are not shortchanged. We will develop a database for all the technicians and dealers there.
“Some people said we have given a deadline for the traders to go away. That is not true. We haven’t given such a deadline”, he continued.
Obuah claims that the committee’s duties include counting the number of qualified auto mechanics, technicians, and dealers in case they need to relocate to Wasa; setting up the relocation site right once; managing compensation issues quickly; and establishing the site’s limits. When necessary, identify areas for integration; additionally, review the Layout.
Malam Abubakar Makama, the committee chairman, expressed gratitude to the Coordinator for taking decisive action in his short three-month tenure, pointing out that the problem has been unresolved for more than 25 years.
