WIKE TAKES OVER APO MECHANICS RELOCATION, ORDERS ENUMERATION

By: Wisdom Acka

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has taken direct control of the relocation of mechanics and traders at Apo Mechanic Village, ordering a fresh physical enumeration of beneficiaries within one week to ensure that only genuine operators receive allocations.

Wike gave the directive on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, during a meeting with officials of the FCT Administration and leaders of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja, where he expressed displeasure over delays and disagreements surrounding the relocation exercise.

The Minister directed that the process be coordinated through his office, under the supervision of his Chief of Staff, the Director of Land Administration, the Director of Urban Planning and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

He also granted a three-day window for genuine mechanics and traders who might have been omitted from previous lists to present themselves for verification.

Wike directed representatives of the two factions of the association to accompany government officials to the workshops to ensure that only genuine operators were captured, warning that names of individuals who could not be physically verified would be removed.

He further cautioned against fraudulent entries, non-traders and land speculators, insisting that the relocation exercise must benefit the actual mechanics and traders operating in the area.

On the allocation of land, the Minister pledged to personally sign up to 5,000 individual title documents before the end of the year, assuring the beneficiaries that the FCT Administration was committed to providing serviced infrastructure rather than merely allocating land.

He also directed that applications and bank statements submitted by private developers and consultants seeking involvement in the project be forwarded to his office for scrutiny ahead of a follow-up meeting scheduled for October 12.

The meeting exposed disagreements among the association’s leadership over the relocation process, with the President General of the Apo Trades Association, Chimezie Ifeh, alleging that the association’s correspondence to FCDA officials had been ignored since the initial land allocation in 2015.

Ifeh also questioned the enumeration exercise, claiming that genuine traders had been excluded because the association was not allowed to submit its master list.

However, the Acting Coordinating Chairman of Apo Mechanics and Traders, Chinedu Nweke, commended the Minister for intervening, alleging that previous association-generated lists had been compromised by the inclusion of people who were not genuine traders.

Providing technical details of the relocation project, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwakwoeze, explained that earlier efforts to allocate land in 2015 failed because beneficiaries were issued only letters of intent without binding development lease agreements.

He said the new arrangement would involve the assignment of a statutory Right of Occupancy to Abuja Investment Company Limited for management and subdivision, after which the FCT Administration would issue individual, bankable titles to verified beneficiaries.

The project is expected to accommodate more than 4,000 eligible shop owners.

At the same meeting, Wike declared that he would resign as FCT Minister if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to win the 2027 presidential election in the FCT and Rivers State.

He said he would tender his resignation on January 17, 2027, if the President loses in either of the two areas, stressing that he must demonstrate his ability to deliver political support in the territories where he exercises influence.

The Minister also disclosed that a multi-party coalition was being organised in the FCT to secure victories for candidates across elective offices in the forthcoming elections.

He specifically endorsed former Senator Philip Aduda for the Senate while reaffirming his support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Wike urged the mechanics and traders, as well as their families, to support the President and the ruling party in the forthcoming elections, linking their cooperation to the successful implementation of the relocation project.

The two factional leaders present at the meeting also expressed support for the Minister’s intervention and the proposed relocation arrangements.