Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning to the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu, over the practice of naming roads constructed by the FCT Administration without authorisation.
Wike gave the warning on Wednesday during the official flag-off of the construction of Road A09 in the Asokoro district of Abuja.
The Minister, visibly displeased, said the naming of roads funded and executed by the FCT Administration without proper coordination was inappropriate and would no longer be tolerated.
“We cannot be doing roads, putting infrastructure, and then you wake up in the morning — I don’t know who writes to you — and before I wake up, you name the streets of the roads we are doing,” Wike said.
“Put your street where you do roads.”
Roads funded by FCTA should be named by FCTA – Wike
Wike explained that the FCT Administration (FCTA) provides the funding for major infrastructural projects in Abuja, including those within AMAC jurisdiction. As such, he said the decision to name such roads must rest with the FCTA and, where necessary, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You wake up when somebody writes to you and pays you people money, then you come and it’s suddenly Dr So-and-So Street, Bishop So-and-So Street, on a road we are suffering to fund,” he said.
“Better tell them to go and refund their money. We have to name streets after those who have contributed to the development of the area.”
Satellite towns exempted
While calling for a more coordinated approach to street naming, the Minister said that the AMAC Chairman was free to assign names in satellite towns such as Ketti-Kabusa, Kabusa-Takushere, or Pai-Gomani, but not in central parts of the city.
“In the cities here, the government must know who you are naming the street after. You don’t know when the President may want to name streets after sports heroes or national icons,” he said.
He criticised what he described as a transactional approach to public infrastructure, where roads were allegedly named in exchange for money without regard to national significance or merit.
Political undertones
Interestingly, Wike’s remarks come just weeks after publicly supporting Maikalangu’s re-election bid for the February 2026 Area Council elections, urging residents to back him for a second term. Despite the endorsement, Wike emphasised the need for accountability and order in local governance.
“Go and do your own roads and name them as you wish. But for roads we are constructing with FCT funds, that’s our responsibility,” he added.
The Minister has in recent months ramped up efforts to standardise urban planning and development in Abuja, including stricter enforcement of building regulations, demolition of illegal structures, and increased investment in infrastructure.
