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• FCTA to restrict Okada, Keke operations in Abuja city centre
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, disclosed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will complete the relocation of Apo Mechanic Village traders to their permanent site in Wasa District before the end of 2026, even as it moves to enforce fresh restrictions on the operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles within Abuja city centre.
He made the disclosure during his monthly media chat at his official residence in Life Camp, Abuja.
According to the minister, basic infrastructure at the Wasa relocation site has already been completed, while discussions are ongoing to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the traders to guarantee government oversight of the facility.
“That’s what we are working on. It’s not been easy when you have divisions among the trader associations. If we begin to give Certificates of Occupancy directly, it becomes their property and government may not have control. There is a need to have an MoU so that government will also have control over it. I believe that before the end of the year, we would have sorted out the issues. Already, the infrastructure has been provided,” Wike said.
The minister also urged residents and property owners who obtained land through Area Councils to regularise their allocations with the FCTA, stressing that the Supreme Court had affirmed that all land in the FCT falls under the authority of the administration.
“No Area Council can allocate land to you—the Supreme Court has ruled that all lands in the FCT belong to the FCT Administration. What we have done is to say: come and regularise it so that we will be able to issue you a Certificate of Occupancy. I have signed over 5,000 to 6,000 regularisations for Area Council lands already,” he said.
Wike disclosed that the administration adopted a similar approach in resolving land ownership issues in River Park Estate, where homebuyers caught in disputes arising from expired leases and developer-related challenges were granted Certificates of Occupancy to protect their investments.
On urban renewal, the minister said the recently remodelled Abuja City Gate and ongoing rural water expansion projects remain among the administration’s signature projects, adding that the City Gate had become a new recreational and civic landmark.
He also announced plans to redevelop abandoned recreational facilities, including the Life Camp Recreation Centre and Jabi Lake Recreational Park, through public-private partnerships.
Wike said developers handling the Jabi Lake project would be required to sign binding agreements with clear timelines or risk forfeiting the land.
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“That place was given out 15 years ago to people who said they wanted to turn it into a recreation centre, but the place was overrun by shanties. How can you have a place for 15 years and nothing has happened? We can’t continue this way.
“What we are going to do now is enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure that they immediately start construction activities. Within the agreed period, if they don’t finish it, we will take back our land. Government may not be able to do all these things alone and needs private partners. That’s what we are doing at Jabi Lake,” he said.
The minister reaffirmed the FCTA’s policy of ensuring funds are fully backed before awarding new contracts to prevent abandoned projects, while noting that strategic projects such as the Millennium Tower would require direct federal budgetary intervention for completion.
On security, Wike announced that the FCT Security Council had approved restrictions on the operations of commercial motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Keke Napep) within designated areas of the city centre.
He said security agencies had been directed to identify districts where the ban would be enforced, explaining that the decision was driven by growing security concerns rather than traffic management alone.
“Just this morning, I signed the approval. We had a Security Council meeting where we agreed that it is not just causing nuisance but has become a security threat. I’ve told the security agencies to map out areas where we do not need Keke Napep and motorcycles, particularly within the city. But it will be difficult to ban them across the entire FCT,” he said.
The minister added that security agencies would continue operations to dismantle illegal settlements and criminal hideouts, including those around Karmajiji in Kukwaba District.
He appealed to residents to remain patient as urban renewal projects expand to more districts, stressing that prompt payment of taxes remains critical to sustaining infrastructure development across the territory.
Wike also disclosed that the administration had constituted a committee to address the growing menace of illegal car racing in residential neighbourhoods, insisting that no individual or group would be allowed to endanger the safety of Abuja residents.
