The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has inaugurated a 19-member technical community to relocate Apo Mechanic Village and other technicians, dealers operating on road corridors to Wasa District, Abuja.
The AMMC Coordinator, Mr Felix Obuah, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja, said that the move was part of efforts to give Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria a new look.
Obuah added that the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had directed that those occupying the right of way should be relocated to the permanent site in Wasa, so that road construction would commence in affected areas.
He explained that rather than demolishing temporary and illegal sites, the Wike-led FCT Administration decided to first, provide a better alternative and ensure an orderly migration before demolition of the temporary sites.
This, according to him, is to give way for expansion of existing roads and construction of others, such as the road corridor occupied by the Apo mechanic village.
Obuah said; “You will recall that two weeks ago, we had a meeting with critical stakeholders to see how we can relocate the Apo mechanics and others, who had been operating on the right of way.
“We have set up the technical committee to, among other things, go into Wasa and Apo to enumerate who and who we are relocating.
“The mechanics and technicians 20,000 to 30,000 members; we have to be sure that this number they are brandishing are actually existing.
“We have to also verify and open a database to make sure that everybody we are allocating is actually on the road corridor.”
He said that the goal of the committee was to ensure efficient relocation of the affected mechanics, technicians and other traders in Apo mechanic village and other locations in the FCT.
Obuah added that the committee would also be expected to handle any challenge that may arise at the course of the relocation.
He explained that members of the committee were drawn from the Department of Development Control, Abuja Environment Protection Board and Urban Affairs, Resettlement and Compensation, General Counsel and Legal Services Secretariat.
Others, he said, were from Land’s Department, Urban and Regional Planning, Mapping and Surveying, Finance and Administration, and Directorate of Road Traffic Services among others.
He explained that the committee was also expected to enumerate eligible mechanics, technicians, dealers and other traders operating on corridors, including furniture makers.
He added that the committee would also carry out immediate preparation of the relocation site; handle compensation matters; establish demarcations and boundaries of the site, identify areas of integration where necessary and review the layout.
“The shops are not to be allocated to our girlfriends, our uncles, our sisters or relatives. That is why the first term of reference is the enumeration of eligible persons.
“We will develop a database for all the technicians and dealers, and as a council, we will do our best to ensure that the people are not shortchanged.
“The work has to do with technical, engineering, allocation and resettlement, so it is not a day’s work, but I am assuring you that it will not take more than three months for all these things to be done,” Obuah said.
Chairman of the Committee, Malam Abubakar Makama, said the issue has been lingering for over 25 years without any solution and thanked the coordinator for swinging into action within just three months in office.
Makama assured Obuah that the committee would be diligent, fair, transparent and accountable in the discharge of the assigned responsibilities. (NAN)
By Philip Yatai
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