Wike Approves Abuja Okada, Keke Restrictions Over Security Concerns

(Nyesom Wike. Photo Credit: Nation News)

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has approved restrictions on commercial motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Keke Napep) in parts of Abuja over security concerns, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike disclosed on Tuesday.

Speaking at a media parley at his official residence in Life Camp, Abuja, Wike said the FCT Security Council approved the restriction after concluding that the vehicles had become more than a mere nuisance.

He said he had signed the approval that morning, explaining that the council agreed the vehicles posed not just a nuisance but a security threat.

He added that security agencies had been directed to map out areas, particularly within the city centre, where Keke Napep and motorcycles would no longer be permitted, though he noted it would be difficult to enforce an outright ban across the entire FCT.

According to him, security agencies have been tasked with identifying central city districts where the vehicles will be barred, while efforts continue to clear illegal encampments in areas such as Karmajiji in Kukwaba District.

He appealed to residents to remain patient as enforcement is extended to more districts.

On the issue of car racing in residential areas, Wike said a committee had been established to address the practice, stressing that the FCTA would not allow any group to put residents' safety at risk.

The minister also provided updates on other ongoing FCTA projects.

He said basic infrastructure at the permanent relocation site for Apo Mechanic Traders in Wasa District had been completed, and that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with traders' associations was being finalised to preserve government oversight of the land before any Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) is issued, expressing hope that the matter would be resolved before the end of 2026.

Wike further urged residents and property owners in satellite settlements who obtained land through Area Councils to regularise their titles, citing a Supreme Court ruling that vests all land authority within the FCT in the FCTA.

He said he had personally signed between 5,000 and 6,000 such regularisations, noting that a similar arrangement had earlier helped homebuyers at River Park Estate secure their C of Os following disputes over expired leases and third-party developers.

On infrastructure, Wike pointed to the newly commissioned Abuja City Gate and ongoing rural water expansion projects as recent achievements, adding that the FCTA was planning private-sector partnerships to redevelop the Life Camp Recreation Centre and Jabi Lake Recreational Park, both of which he said had been abandoned by a previous developer for 15 years.

He said a fresh MoU would set firm construction deadlines, with the land reverting to government should the new developer fail to deliver.

On capital projects more broadly, Wike reaffirmed the administration's policy of cash-backing new contract awards to prevent stalled projects, though he noted that major national monuments, such as the Millennium Tower, would require direct federal budget support.

He also urged residents to remain compliant with tax obligations in order to sustain the FCT's ongoing infrastructure drive.