Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning to the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu, over what he described as the arbitrary naming of roads funded and constructed by the FCT Administration.
Speaking on Wednesday during the flag-off of Road A09 in Asokoro, Abuja, Wike expressed displeasure at the practice of naming streets without the knowledge or approval of his administration, especially when the projects were executed with federal resources.
“We cannot be doing roads, putting infrastructure, and you wake up in the morning, I don’t know who writes to you, before I wake up, you name the streets of the roads we are doing, putting money,” Wike said. “Put your street where you do roads.”
The Minister accused the council of accepting payments in exchange for street naming rights, calling the practice unacceptable.
“You wake up when somebody writes to you and pays you people money, then you come, before you know it, it’s Dr So-and-So Street, Professor So-So Street, Bishop So-So Street, Mallam So-So Street, on a road we are suffering, looking for money to provide infrastructure,” he said.
“Better tell them, go and refund them their money. We have to name streets after those who have contributed to the development of the area. You don’t just wake up, because somebody has N2 million, he pays you, then you come and have the name of a street. That is not possible.”
Wike clarified that while the council may name roads in satellite towns, streets within the city centre are reserved for national honours and must be approved by the federal government.
“You can go and name them in the satellite towns. Go to Ketti-Kabusa, go to Kabusa-Takushere. Go to all those Pai-Gomani. Go and put it there,” he said.
“But in cities here, the government must know who you are naming the street after. You don’t know when the President, tomorrow, may say footballers, our sports people, who may have done well, and they say, look, name these streets after them, to immortalise and remember them tomorrow for what they have done for the country, for what they have done for the city.”
“You go and bring somebody because you don’t know where he made the five million naira. Then you name a very important road. It will not work again.”
Despite his rebuke, Wike reiterated his support for Maikalangu’s re-election bid in the February 2026 Area Council elections. While commissioning road projects linking Tunga Madaki and eight other communities, he urged residents to back the APC candidate and ensure he returns to celebrate the project’s completion in June 2025.
The Minister’s remarks underscore growing tensions between the FCT Administration and local councils over infrastructure control and recognition, especially as political campaigns begin to heat up ahead ofnext year’s elections.
