• Abuja motor spareparts, mechanics, at loggerheads over land allocation
From Idu Jude, Abuja
Efforts by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to relocate mechanics and auto spare parts dealers from the Apo mechanic village to a permanent site in Wasa, are being stalled by a superiority contest between two groups.
The warring parties are the Auto Technicians Association of Nigeria (ATAN), led by Mohammed Oshioke and the Apo Traders Association (ATASS), headed by Chimezie Ifeh, aka Chimex. The latter sells auto spares while the former repairs vehicles using the materials sold by the latter; making the place the biggest vehicle clinic in Abuja.
Both parties are at loggerheads, as they try to outfox each other to be duly recognised by the FCTA and ultimately secure the documents for the permanent site. The relocation of was to address concerns around environmental hazards, while sticking to the Abuja master plan.
The relocation was mooted in 2015 by then FCT minister, Bala Mohammed, to pave the way for the full realisation of the Apo resettlement village as the warring artisans are currently occupying a portion of it. Eight years down the line, the battle for supremacy has hindered the movement to the permanent site.
Daily Sun, however, gathered that was a move recently by both groups to bury the hatchet and speak with one voice. Sources at the FCTA confirmed that the inability of the unions to put their houses in order compelled the FCTA to suspend plans to allocate the land to them; just as the official file was marked, “Leadership Tussle.”
A source said: “Factional leaders are laying claims to the file for the land allocation. Until the issue is settled, such a file can’t be looked into.”
Fears were rife that influential Nigerians might exploit the rancour and get any serving FCT minister to allocate the land to them; rather than reserving it for unions in dispute. The source counselled: “These people should come together to work for the betterment of their suffering members.
“They had better do it quickly because the Apo mechanic village will soon be evaluated. If Wasa has not been signed to them, it means they are all with no option than to retire to their various homes and pursue their daily bread from there. Apo mechanic village land is not for artisans. They will have to move some day and quickly sorting out to get Wasa would be in their best interest.
“From what I gathered, it is a superiority war being fought with a huge amount of money. So, the true situation is that those who repair vehicles are insisting they are to be in charge when the allocation comes through eventually. Those who import and sell the spare parts feel otherwise.
“Government has limited time to waste in this kind of meaningless power tussle. It is all about who should be in control and who gets what when the allocation comes. We know the political and selfish undertone.”
Investigation showed that both factions approached the FCTA on separate occasions demanding for the same land be allocated to them. This, successive FCT ministers rebuffed, because it might precipitate a serious crisis difficult to handle.
It was also alleged that the parties had individually approached influential politicians to see how to swing things in their favour.
ATAN leader, Oshioke, claimed his association was originally awarded a temporary stay at Apo mechanic village in the 90s, during the formative years of the FCT. He added that the whole journey began through a symbiotic relationship with the FCTA:
“This agreement began a long time. During those days, we were only asked to pay N30,000 for the allocation given to each artisan, together with the building plans and nothing else.
“But what we hear now is that some people are accusing the administration of collecting huge money from them. This honestly our association cannot attest to because nobody has taken huge money from us.
***”But in 2015, during the time of Bala Mohammed as the Minister of FCT, there came an idea to allocate part of Wasa to the artisans. But the paper was wrongly presented to a man*** who was not an artisan. He is a spare parts seller.
“We also discovered that it was a game of politics. And since then, we have had a series of meetings where we appealed to former ministers to see why artisans should be given the allocation, not the spare parts sellers. This is because we wouldn’t want what we started with the FCTA to slip out of our hands.
“This would subject us to begging for the same allocation which we originally started with the FCTA. So, in a nutshell, there is the difference between artisans which includes ATAN and spare parts dealers association.
If the allocation should come out as we were told, it will be good if it is handed over to the artisans not the spare parts sellers. They were not the people targeted to be relocated because of environmental hazards.
“We appeal to the administration to do the right thing. We operate around FCT and beyond. Take a look at this place, we were in a meeting when you came in. People seated here are representatives of our units across FCT.
“We are law abiding people and we are employers of labour in FCT and Nigeria as a whole. Government should give us the rightful place that we artisans deserve.
“This association is not engaging anyone in power tussle. Please, ask them to tell you if anyone has invited me for any meeting. I learnt they went to the FCT Minister’s Office to protest and I was not invited either. And if I was involved, I should have advised them not to wash out their dirty linens out there.”
Chairman, ATASS, Chimezie, claimed his group spent more than N100 million to secure the Wasa land and held several meetings with FCTA, all to no avail. He said the hazardous trading along the road corridors allowed by FCTA, was a temporary measure as getting a befitting space remains the ultimate desire of his association.
He vowed that the traders would continue to engage with relevant stakeholders and protest when necessary, until the administration fulfilled its part of the deal to allocate the land. He alleged that some FCTA staff were making outrageous demands from the traders, promising that his group would not welcome extortion in any form.
Aliyu Adeiza Ibrahim, the Vice President, ATASS North Central, said:
“When we talk of spare parts dealers or sellers association, as the case may be, they are always under the artisans. For those who do not know the way we operate, the artisans bring the sellers of the spare parts close to create that proximity whenever there is the need for their services. That is why people always see them around us anywhere we move.
“We take them along with us because of the need. But if there is no technician, the spare parts sellers wouldn’t sell. Without the technicians, to whom would they sell the spare parts to?
“I urge them to soft pedal and align with us for the benefit of all and not to approach the FCTA alone seeking allocation. We started the journey before their association was formed.
“The main objective of evicting the auto technicians from Apo is to do away with environmental pollution associated with every location we operate. If we are not there with them, who patronises them? So, we urge them to come back and be with us and that is the only way they can succeed.
“Again, they got it by going to the Minister’s Office to protest because the administration failed to listen to them in the first place. If they had consulted us, they wouldn’t have made the mistake.”
It said it has become legally inappropriate to recognise them in the struggle as a legitimate body due to their non-existence before and during the process that began in the 90s.