- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has warned the Amac Area Council Chairman, Christopher Maikalangu, against collecting money from people to name streets after them.
Wike gave the warning during his address at the project flag off ceremony at Guzape area of the capital city.
While calling out the Maikalangu amongst the crowd, the FCT Minister expressed his displeasure with the naming of street after anyone who can afford to afford it.
He ordered the Amac Council Chairman to refund the money while.notimg that street must be named after those who have contributed to the development of the area.
“We cannot be doing roads, putting infrastructures, and you wake up in the morning and name the streets of the road where we put money. Put your street on where you did road.
“It is very funny. You wake up, when somebody writes to you and pay you people money.
“Then you come and before you know it, it is Dr. Soso street, Professor soso street, Mallam soso street.
“In the road where we are suffering, looking for how to provide infrastructures. You better tell them to go and refund the money.
“We have to name street based on those who have contributed to the development of the area. You don’t just wake up, because somebody has N2 million and pays to you, then come and have the name of a street. That is not possible.” He said.
Wike told the Council Chairman to take those interested in getting a street named after them to rural and remote areas, stressing that street naming in cities like Amac must be done with government approval.
“You can go and name them in the Satellite town. Go to Ketti, Kabusa, Tukasira, and go and put there.
“But in cities here, government must know who are you naming the street after. You can’t because somebody you don’t where the money comes from then you go and name a very important street. We will not do that again.” He said.
While pardoning Maikalangu over the previous occurrences, he recounted how he ordered the removal of the name of the street where he resides after noticing that it was changed.
Wike noted that the President, Bola Tinubu, can one day decide immortalise some Nigerians such as the sportsmen and women who are considered to have contributed to development of the country by naming the streets after them.
“I have forgiven you till yesterday. But from today I won’t forgive you again. If there are people who have paid you, make sure you do the roads too and provide the infrastructure, and name the streets after them.
“Even where I’m living, I woke up one early morning and saw a name.
“As a Minister, I’m living here. Before I know, you have given somebody. I said no, go and take that name back.
“That is not the way it supposed to be. Tomorrow you may see somebody, footballers, or our sports people who may have done well and the President will say ‘look name this street after them in order to immortalise them’.” He added.