FCTA Moves To Complete Projects For Tinubu’s 2nd Anniversary

By: Wisdom Acka & Nabeela Pai

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has tasked contractors handling its projects to speed up work and ensure completion early next year.

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who gave this task Monday, while speaking to journalists after inspection of some the on-going projects in the city centre, said the completion of those critical projects is aimed at commissioning them by President Bola Tinubu for his second anniversary on May 29.

His words: “All these things are geared toward….and must be completed during the second anniversary of Mr. President. By the grace of God, so many of the projects will be outlined, and Mr. President will be able to say, Yes, in this two years, a lot of things have happened in Abuja.”

Wike said: “The aim of Mr. President, the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, is that we should have a city that looks like world best cities.”

The Minister recalled that on assumption of office, he met an Abuja that was not in good shape; assuring that he would ensure a quick turnaround.

“Remember when we came onboard, virtually everything was idle, nothing was going on. By the time we finish and Mr. President finishes his first tenure, you would know that Abuja can compete with any other city in the world, which is very basic. That is what we want to achieve and we believe we are going to achieve that,” he added.

Reacting to an obstruction that might delay space of work on construction of the arterial road from Life Camp junction to Ring Road III, Wike assured: “By the grace of God, that has been sorted out”.

“We believe, in the next two days, the communities of those who own some crops would have been compensated. You can see the quality, you can see the reactions of the people there and how happy they are,” he said.

Wike, however, explained: “What we went to do at Life Camp has to do majorly with cost of the crops, and then there are some small amount of houses that we need to compensate. But if it requires relocating them, we will do it, if it requires just compensation, we will do. It depends on what is available. What is important to us is that we are working together with the various communities.”

The Minister also inspected work on the Katampe road; saying it would be linked to N20 expressway, “we have to extend the scope of the contract, because it will be more meaningful if it links to N20.”

While inspecting work at the Abuja International Conference Centre; he revealed that President Tinubu had directed rehabilitation of the facility in line with international standards; expressing satisfaction and happiness with the quality and pace of work so far.

The Minister reiterated that his administration was not only focusing on the city centre and roads, but was also fulfilling the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ in the satellite towns, and other areas such as education and security, among others.