ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The long-awaited relocation of mechanics, artisans and traders from the Apo Mechanic Village to the Wasa District in Abuja has finally become a reality, ending years of unfulfilled promises by successive administrations.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday, commissioned the access roads, power and water infrastructure for the Informal Sector Layout in Wasa District, paving the way for the relocation of thousands of traders and mechanics to the new site.

Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, the President said the project fulfilled a commitment that had remained unrealised for more than a decade despite repeated assurances by previous governments.

“The relocation to Wasa District was a promise long delayed by previous administrations. Today, under this administration, that promise has been fulfilled,” Tinubu said at the commissioning ceremony in Abuja.

According to him, the project is a key component of the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at ensuring that infrastructure development benefits ordinary Nigerians and supports economic growth.

For years, mechanics, artisans and traders operating along the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) corridor had complained about inadequate facilities and uncertainty over relocation plans tied to the Abuja Master Plan.

Tinubu noted that beyond the construction of roads, electricity and water supply, the project represents an investment in the livelihoods of thousands of Nigerians who depend on the informal sector.

“What we are commissioning today goes far beyond the provision of access roads, erecting electricity poles or laying water pipes. This is an investment in human dignity and economic freedom.

“The informal sector is the true engine of our economy, sustaining millions of livelihoods. By providing premium infrastructure here in Wasa, we are transforming this district into a modern, vibrant commercial hub that will boost Abuja’s Internally Generated Revenue and lower the cost of doing business,” he said.

The President reiterated that his administration remains committed to inclusive development and ensuring that no group is left behind.

“When we took the oath of office and presented the Renewed Hope Agenda to the Nigerian people, we made a solemn pledge that no segment of our society would be left behind and that infrastructure would not be built for only the elite, but as a ladder for the economic empowerment of the everyday Nigerian,” he said.

Tinubu also acknowledged the economic challenges facing Nigerians, describing the ongoing reforms as painful but necessary steps toward building a more resilient economy.

“I am deeply aware of the current economic realities across our nation. As your President, I feel your pain, I hear your concerns and I carry the weight of your daily struggles.

“The economic reforms we have initiated are undoubtedly painful, and their immediate impact has been heavy on households and businesses alike. However, these decisions were not made lightly; they are difficult but necessary surgeries required to save the patient,” he said.

He assured Nigerians that his administration would continue to implement social intervention programmes, invest in agriculture and expand infrastructure development to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.

Speaking earlier, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, said the completion of the project demonstrated President Tinubu’s resolve to fulfil promises made to residents.

Wike recalled that shortly after assuming office in August 2023, the FCT Administration held consultations with stakeholders, including the Apo Mechanic Traders Association, on the need to relocate them to the designated informal sector layout in Wasa.

He noted that while previous administrations had repeatedly promised the relocation, Tinubu’s government moved beyond promises by providing the required infrastructure.

“Every government that came promised that Apo traders and mechanics would be moved here because staying along the road was not conducive. Those promises were never fulfilled.

“But when Bola Ahmed Tinubu became President, he made the promise and approved the project. The contract was awarded in November last year, and today we are commissioning it. It is not even up to one year,” Wike said.

The minister urged members of the association to resolve internal disagreements and prepare for a smooth relocation to the new site.

“Now that the government has fulfilled its own agreement, I hope you will fulfil yours. Put your house in order so that you can comfortably move here and enjoy the environment,” he said.

Wike also commended CGC Nigeria Limited for delivering the project and thanked host communities, the National Assembly and Area Council chairmen for supporting the execution of infrastructure projects across the Federal Capital Territory.

Also speaking, Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, described the project as another demonstration of the administration’s commitment to infrastructure renewal and economic empowerment.

She said ongoing rehabilitation and completion of critical projects across Abuja were restoring confidence in governance and repositioning the Federal Capital Territory as a modern capital city in line with global standards.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The newly commissioned Access Roads to the Informal Sector Layout, Wasa District, Abuja where Apo Mechanic Village Traders will be relocated.

#ProjectsFCT2026
#FCT31DaysCommissioning

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

…Over N480 billion super clandestine lab, methamphetamine found in Ogun forest

A 63-year-old drug baron, Anochili Innocent, three Mexican nationals and six other Nigerians have been arraigned before Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on an 11-count criminal charge bordering on the setting up of a super clandestine laboratory and the production of 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine worth over Four Hundred and Eighty Billion Naira (N480,000,000,000.00) in the international market at Mowe village, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The defendants: Anochili Innocent, 63; Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, 49; Nemecio Martinez Felix, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40, all Mexican nationals except Anochili; Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 43; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; Omonughwa Kingsley Orike, 45; and Nwobum Emeka, 59, were docked on Friday 10th July 2026 following their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in coordinated raids in Ogun and Lagos state between 16th and 18th May 2026. on their 2026.

Suspects arrested in the super lab hidden deep inside Mowe forest, Ijebu East LGA of Ogun State, on 16th May are: Nwankwo Sunday Christian; Igwe Abuchi Remijus; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor; as well as the three Mexican meth experts: Martinez Felix Nemecto; Jesus López Valles; and Torrero Juan Carlos; while the cartel’s mastermind, Anochili Innocent, was simultaneously arrested at his luxury residence located at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki area of Lagos state.

In follow-up operations on Monday 18th May 2026, NDLEA operatives stormed another property owned by the baron at House 70, Close 3, Mayfair Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos where another key member of the syndicate, Kingsley Orike Omonughwa, was arrested after which investigators stormed the residence of another syndicate member, Emeka Nwobum, whose property served as the cartel’s strategic stash house same day.
The 11-count charge, filed by the NDLEA prosecution team accuses the defendants of conspiring, between February and 16th May 2026, to establish a clandestine laboratory for the preparation, processing and production of methamphetamine, in violation of Section 14(b) of the NDLEA Act.

Other counts include managing, organising and financing a drug trafficking organisation contrary to Section 20(1)(g); unlawfully transporting precursor chemicals, including toluene, phenyl-2-propane (P2P), phenyl acetic acid, acetone and hydrochloric acid, from Lagos to the Mowe laboratory using a Toyota Tacoma, a Mercedes Benz marked APP 942 YL and a Toyota Highlander marked GWA 662DJ, contrary to Section 20(1)(f); and the unlawful production and possession of the 2,419.48kg haul of methamphetamine, contrary to Sections 11(a) and 19 of the Act respectively.

The charge sheet further details the separate possession of large quantities of precursor chemicals recovered at the laboratory, including 358kg of toluene, 1,834kg of hydrochloric acid and 22.5kg of acetone, alongside quantities of P2P and phenyl acetic acid, all contrary to Section 20(1)(e) of the NDLEA Act.

In a count peculiar to only the kingpin, Anochili Innocent, described by the Agency as the owner of the fenced expanse of land on which the super lab was sited, he was charged separately under Section 12 of the NDLEA Act for unlawfully allowing his property to be used for the production of the illicit drug.

All ten defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read before Justice Kakaki. The prosecution thereafter called seven witnesses to commence trial having served the defence the proof of evidence since 3rd of July 2026 but the defence objected asking for more time. The court consequently ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Correctional Centre Lagos with the case adjourned to the 16th and 22nd of July for trial and hearing of the application for bail.
Speaking on the arraignment, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) said the case represents one of the most significant dismantling of an industrial-scale narcotics production operation on Nigerian soil, underscoring the increasingly transnational character of drug trafficking networks now desperate to exploit Nigeria as a manufacturing base for onward export.
“The presence of Mexican nationals among those arrested and arraigned today speaks to the alarming reach of international drug cartels now attempting to entrench themselves in Nigeria, but the Agency will not relent in tracking down and dismantling every such network, no matter how well concealed or well-financed”, Marwa stated.
He reiterated NDLEA’s commitment to ridding Nigeria of drug cartels and their local collaborators, and called on members of the public to continue providing useful information to support the Agency’s operations nationwide.