· Expectations high as Abuja Metroline commences
· Heightened security
By Sarah NEGEDU
Abuja is in a gay mood as President Bola Tinubu begins projects’ commissioning Tuesday, May 28, 2024 as part of activities to mark his one year in office.
Already, there is heightened security with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, set to announce routes diversion especially for Tuesday and Wednesday.
President Tinubu is expected to commission some of these projects including the Southern Parkway on Tuesday, which has been named after him.
Also on the bill is the reopening of commercial operations at the Abuja Rail Mass Transit project, after four years of it near-moribund.
The ceremony will officially signal the reopening of commercial activities at the Abuja Light Rail project which had been abandoned almost immediately after it was launched in 2018 by the Buhari-led Administration.
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, while featuring at the Ministerial Sectoral Update, said that the Abuja Rail Mass Transit project, also known as Abuja Light Rail, was now ready for commercial use.
He announced that FCT residents will be allowed to enjoy at least two months free ride on the Metroline which connects the city center to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, stopping at the Abuja-Kaduna Railway station in Idu.
The project, which is still at its first phase, was launched on 12 July 2018, as the first rapid transit system in West Africa and the second of such in sub-saharan Africa.
Unfortunately, residents of the FCT never got to ride on the train as operations were shut down almost immediately, largely due to poor funding, the outbreak of COVID-19 and later, the activities of vandals who descended on the facility, putting it out of use.
The first phase of the rail project only links the city center to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, stopping at the Abuja-Kaduna Railway station in Idu.
Originally planned to run through six lots, the $823million project was first conceived in 1997 during General Sani Abacha’s regime, to ease transport issues in and around the territory.
Since then, the project has suffered several delays and setbacks mostly due to funding issues. The proposal was to source up to 60 percent of that sum as loans from the Exim Bank of China.
However, President Goodluck Johnathan on August 18, 2010, approved N1.26 billion ($841 million) contract for project management services in respect of the Lots 1-3 of the light rail transit project.
Though construction work on Lots 1 and 3 commenced, the project remained largely abandoned as access roads to the train stations and terminals were never constructed, thereby making them inaccessible.
Wike, had recently announced that his administration had spent $15 million in building access roads to the various stations, and also refurbishing the Abuja Rail Mass Transit project for commercial services.
Since his assumption of office in August 2023, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has embarked on massive infrastructure development including the completion of abandoned road projects as well as the completion of the official residence of the Vice President’s Lodge.
To mark the Democracy day on Wednesday, the President will attend the National Assembly Dialogue Series, after which he will officially unveil the National Assembly Complex, which had been renovated by the Federal Capital Development Authority.
President Tinubu will then re-launch the commercial operation of the Abuja Light Rail, also known as Abuja Metro.
He will symbolically join a train ride to the city centre, from there, he will inaugurate the Wuye Flyover-Link Bridge and the Defence Intelligence Agency Headquarters.
Though the Presidency only listed the Southern Parkway, Wuye Flyover-Link Bridge and the Defence Intelligence Agency Headquarters as projects to be commissioned by the president, the FCTA had also completed a number of road projects, including the Goodluck Jonathan Expressway way, the Powerhouse Junction Bridge.
Other roads include the rehabilitation and expansion of Outer Southern Expressway; Expansion and Extension of the Inner Southern Expressway; and construction of Southern Parkway from Christian Center, B6, B12.
The FCT Administration was also able to start and complete the resurfacing of road networks in Maitama, Asokoro and Garki Districts.
The Wike led Administration also embarked on the construction and rehabilitation of rural community roads across the Six Area councils totalling 42.2 km.
The roads include, construction of the 9km Paikon- kore- Ibwa road in Gwagwalada, 11.3km Yangoji road in Kwali, 5km dual carriage way at Kuje, 5km Naharati Ukya- Angwan Hausawa road in Abaji, 7.2 Gaba-Tokulu road at Bwari, and 5km Tipper Garage-LEA Road in Kuje area council.
Others are the Saburi 1&2 road AMAC, alongside the resurfacing and rehabilitation of 135 roads in September 2023, and another 189 roads within Maitama, Garki and Utako in February.
