By Sarah NEGEDU
Artisans and traders billed for relocation from the Apo Mechanic Village have appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to release their land allocation letters, saying they cannot move to the newly developed Wasa District Informal Sector Layout without the documents.
The appeal follows the official commissioning of infrastructure at the Wasa layout, where the FCT Administration provided roads, water supply and electricity to support the relocation of mechanics, spare parts dealers, car mart operators and other informal sector operators.
The relocation is part of the FCTA’s plan to decongest the Apo corridor and establish a permanent, organised business district for artisans. However, the traders insist that while the infrastructure is ready, the allocation letters remain the final requirement before they can vacate their current site.
Speaking on behalf of the artisans, the Coordinating Chairman of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Unity Forum, Comrade Chinedu Nweke, commended the Tinubu administration for completing the infrastructure but appealed to the minister to approve the release of the allocation letters.
“We are very happy with the inauguration and commissioning of these infrastructural works. However, what remains for us is the release of our allocation letters.
“We came to the commissioning hopeful that the Honourable Minister would do the needful by issuing a directive or approval for the release of these letters,” Comrade Nweke stated.
He said reports suggesting that the relocation had become a reality did not reflect the actual situation, as the traders were yet to receive the legal documents needed to take possession of the land.
“For some time now, it has been in the news that the relocation of the Apo mechanics has become a reality. But for us, it is not yet a reality until we have the physical documents in hand.
“I am glad the minister himself is a barrister; he knows that nobody can proudly claim this infrastructure is theirs without a land document.
“There is no way we can vacate our current site and move here without the legal documents for this place,” he explained.
The FCTA allocated about 400 hectares of land in Wasa District for the relocation of mechanics, spare parts dealers, car mart operators and other informal sector businesses. The move is expected to ease traffic congestion along the Outer Southern Expressway and restore order to the Apo area.
During the commissioning of the project on Friday, by President Bola Tinubu, the FCT Minister urged the traders to fulfil their part of the agreement by relocating to the new site.
The traders, however, maintained that they were not delaying the relocation but only seeking the legal backing required before dismantling their businesses and moving their investments to Wasa.
Nweke said the traders had spent years demanding a permanent location and remained ready to relocate once the allocation letters were released.
“We are eager to move. Nobody is comfortable or happy trading on a road corridor.
“We have staged several protests and written numerous letters asking the government to relocate us to a more comfortable place for our businesses. We are hopeful that the Minister will do the needful very soon.”
