By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has assured that businesses at the popular Apo Mechanic Village will be relocated to the newly developed site at Wasa District before the end of the year, ending years of uncertainty over the controversial exercise.
The minister said the infrastructure at the new site had already been completed and that the remaining hurdle was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to establish a governance framework for the facility. He said disagreements among associations operating at the mechanic village had delayed the process.
Speaking during a media chat at his official residence in Life Camp on Tuesday, Wike said the FCT Administration would retain regulatory control of the new site instead of transferring full ownership to the traders through Certificates of Occupancy.
“Already, the infrastructure has been provided. What is left is to conclude the governance framework through an MoU so government can retain control. I believe before the end of the year, the issues will be resolved,” the minister said.
Wike also said the administration would sustain security operations against illegal settlements and criminal hideouts across the territory, including those around Karmajiji in the Kukwaba District, as part of efforts to improve security in the capital.
On land administration, the minister urged residents who acquired land through the Area Councils to regularise their titles with the FCT Administration, following the Supreme Court’s affirmation that all land in the Federal Capital Territory is vested in the FCTA.
He said between 5,000 and 6,000 land titles had so far been regularised, enabling beneficiaries to obtain Certificates of Occupancy.
The minister also said the FCT Administration had stepped in to resolve land ownership disputes affecting homeowners in River Park Estate, while plans were underway to revive abandoned recreational facilities, including the Life Camp Recreation Centre and Jabi Lake Recreation Park, through public-private partnership arrangements.
He warned developers who had held on to public land without carrying out development for years that such allocations could be revoked if they failed to meet agreed timelines.
Wike further disclosed that a committee had been constituted to address the growing problem of illegal car racing in residential neighbourhoods, insisting that activities endangering residents would not be tolerated.
He added that the administration would continue its policy of awarding only projects with secured funding to curb abandoned contracts, while noting that completing the Abuja Millennium Tower would require intervention by the Federal Government.
