The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has issued an eight-month ultimatum for the completion of Abuja light rail project.
Speaking during an inspection of the ARMT Metro Station in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike directed the permanent secretary to complete payment to CCECC Ltd for the speedy completion of the project.
“The money for the rehabilitation is on ground and I have already directed the Permanent Secretary, FCT Administration, Mr Adesola Olusade to make sure that the contractor is paid.
“We will work to ensure that in the next coming months, this project is commissioned and put to public use,” Wike said.
Speaking further, Wike stated that one of his concerns was to address challenges affecting public transportation in the FCT.
“Transportation is one of the sectors we intend to intervene in the short term to reduce traffic congestion within the city.
“I know that we have a metro station in Abuja, and it is not working, why is it not working? Can we fix it within a short time? Wike asked.
Noting that while there were other lots of the project that were not completed, he stated that people would have “confidence in the one that was completed and working.”
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The FCT Minister stated that it was not a good idea to begin another rail project while the completed remain unusable, adding that every project that commenced must be finished before embarking on another one.
“I assured the public that the rail transport system is a project we will take to a logical conclusion.
“Before commencing another project, we will need to determine which areas are the most traffic areas. This is very important to decongest areas with traffic congestion,” he said.
Speaking further, Wike told the management of CCECC Nig. Ltd, the construction company handling the rail construction and rehabilitation projects to deliver quality projects.
The Minister also took a train ride from the Metro Station to Airport and Idu Stations to inspect the ongoing rehabilitation project of the rail system.
After the trip, Wike described it as a “good project.”
“This is one of the projects we will complete and put to use,” he added.
