By Sarah NEGEDU
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has asked contractors handling the Kuje-Airport road junction, Arab Contractors, to take the project more seriously or face revocation.
The advice is coming on the heels of an earlier warning to contractors handling the construction of rural roads in the FCT to adhere to specifications, or be made to refund their mobilisation funds.
The Abuja Inquirer had earlier reported that the minister, while flagging off the construction of Paikon Kore–Ibwa Road, last week Thursday, warned that the administration would accept nothing short of expected quality in all the 18 rural roads slated to be constructed across the six area councils.
Wike, while flaging-off of the dualization of the 5km, tipper garage junction to LEA Secretariat in Kuje Area Council, declared the administration’s readiness to revisit all abandoned road projects in satellites and rural communities.
“Any project that was awarded before now, and abandoned, we have to go back to those projects, because government is continuum.
“It is public money, so we cannot allow government money to be wasted simply because we were not the one that awarded it, no.
“We will continue with those projects since it will have a positive impact on the lives of our people. That is what is important to us, and we are going to do it,” he said.
According to him, all that he had achieved in the execution of infrastructural development so far, was due to the enormous support received from President Bola Tinubu.
He explained that he and the Minister of State for FCT were lucky in getting presidential approval for every request made, hence has no reason to give excuses.
He said: “Everybody say we are doing well. All the doing well is because we have a President that provides all that we required. We are doing well because Mr President is behind us. He is the Governor of FCT. He only delegated his powers to us.
“Not every Minister has this luck. I and Minister of State can attest to the fact that we are very lucky. So, we cannot answer FCT with mouth. If you are a Minister, minister well. This has nothing to do with party, but about bringing governance to the people through development of infrastructure. “
Wike disclosed that in the next one or two weeks, the FCT Administration would begin a total renovation of not less than 25 schools and complete abandoned hospital projects.
He said: “We are not just talking about only roads, we are also talking about schools, we are also going to come to hospitals that have been abandoned.
“Take for example, the Utako General Hospital that has not been completed; the General Hospital Gwagwalada. We are going to put them in order for the use of our people.”
Earlier, FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, said that while urban development often takes the spotlight, it is imperative not to overlook the needs of rural communities.
“I have no doubt that rural road infrastructure forms the backbone of rural economies and contributes significantly to the overall development of a nation.”
On his part, Chairman Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Sabo, noted that the road when completed would not only decongest the traffic usually experienced in area, but also tackle the issue of perennial flood and overflow of drainages along the road during the rainy season.
Reacting to the development, a property developer and stakeholder in Kuje, Chief Patrick Akinboye Ojo, said the project when completed will impact tremendously on the people of Kuje.
Ojo, who is a developer working with FCTA in different capacity; ranging from advisory, consultancy, development basis said: “The people of Kuje have long awaited this project and we are impressed and happy that the minister, out of his busy schedule is able to come here, because we know everywhere he goes and makes a promise and intentions known, it will definitely come to pass and for that reason we are waiting in anticipation to hear from the working minister.
“From here to Gwagwalada should be less than seven minutes drive but the traffic congestion in this area make it way longer than that. So the project, when completed will decongest this road and will by effect also allow free flow of traffic along the Airport road.
“We have seen what he has done in other places, especially within the FCT city centre where a lot of projects has been going on. So it is now our turn in Kuje.”
