The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says it will resolve outstanding issues and complete the relocation of Apo Mechanic village to its permanent site in Wasa District before the end of 2026.
The FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, disclosed this during a media parley held on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at his official residence in Lifecamp, Abuja.
Wike said the basic infrastructure required at the new site had already been completed, but disagreements among various traders’ associations had delayed the relocation process.
He explained that the administration was working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the traders to ensure that the FCTA retained adequate regulatory control over the site after the relocation.
According to him, issuing Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) directly to individual traders could make it difficult for the government to maintain oversight of the area.
“That is what we are working on. It has not been easy because there are divisions among the trader associations. If we begin to issue Certificates of Occupancy directly, the land becomes their property and the government may lose control.
“There is a need to have an MoU so that the government will also retain control. I believe that before the end of the year, we will have resolved the issues. The infrastructure has already been provided,” he said.
The minister did not specify when the physical relocation would begin but expressed confidence that the remaining administrative and association-related issues would be resolved before the end of the year.
The proposed relocation forms part of the FCTA’s broader efforts to reorganise commercial activities and improve land administration and urban development within the nation’s capital.
Wike also urged residents who acquired land through Area Councils to regularise their titles with the FCTA.
He said the appeal followed the Supreme Court’s ruling that land administration in the FCT falls under the authority of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
“No Area Council can allocate land to you. The Supreme Court has ruled that all land in the FCT belongs to the FCT Administration,” he said.
Source: Daily Trust
