The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) has established a 19-member technical community to relocate mechanics and technicians in Wasa District, Abuja, as part of Nigeria’s urban renewal efforts.
The AMMC Coordinator, Felix Obuah, inaugurated the committee in Abuja as part of Nigeria’s efforts to revamp Nigeria’s capital city.
According to Obuah, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ordered the relocation of right-of-way occupants to a permanent site in Wasa for road construction, prioritizing migration over demolition of temporary sites.
Obuah assured that the Wike-led FCT Administration aims to provide a better alternative and ensure orderly migration before demolishing temporary and illegal sites.
He said that this move would make way for the expansion of existing roads and the 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.”
Key responsibilities of the committee
Obuah also noted that the committee aims to relocate affected mechanics and traders in Apo Mechanic Village and other FCT locations, handling any challenges as well as enumerate eligible mechanics, technicians, dealers and other traders operating on corridors, including furniture makers.
Obuah stated that the committee will be responsible for addressing any challenges that may arise during the relocation process.
The committee is comprised of members from various departments including the Department of Development Control, Abuja Environment Protection Board, Urban Affairs, Resettlement and Compensation, General Counsel, and Legal Services Secretariat.
Others, he said, were from the Land’s Department, Urban and Regional Planning, Mapping and Surveying, Finance and Administration, and Directorate of Road Traffic Services among others.
