Business
FCTA Set To Relocate Apo Mechanic Village
The Federal Territory
Administration (FCTA) is set to relocate vehicle mechanics and other artisans at the Apo Mechanic Village, Abuja, to Wasa, a suburb of the FCT.
The Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Company (AMMC), Mr Reuben Okoya,our correspondent on Tuesday, in Abuja, that the present mechanic village in Apo, Abuja, was not approved for them.
He said “ordinarily, people who intend to do business in the FCT are expected to provide appropriate business premises for themselves.
“But the FCTA has graciously agreed to relocate them to Wasa, a place that is more convenient.’’
Okoya said the essence of demolishing illegal structures in the territory was not to make residents uncomfortable, but to ensure that the FCT master plan was adhered to.
“Abuja, as our capital city, should be the pride of every Nigerian and people should not be allowed to alter its structural plan,’’ he added.
Meanwhile, a reliable source at the FCTA Department of Development Control, said that the main reason for the demolition of the Apo Mechanic Village was to give room for the construction of a road.
The source said “government has approved the construction of an alternative road through Apo to Abaji and work will soon commence on the project.
“The mechanic village must, therefore, be relocated to give way for the road construction.’’
Commenting on the same issue, Mr Gabriel Obiahu, the Head of Public Relations, Parks and Recreation, said the relocation was to decentralise the mechanic village to different parts of the territory.
He said a central mechanic village would create traffic congestion and would encroach on the buffer zone in the area.
A joint team of departments under the FCTA, coordinated by AMMC, intensified the demolition of illegal structures and shanties in the FCT on January 21.