Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has reaffirmed the FCT administration’s commitment to completing all strategic projects in the Federal Capital Territory in the shortest possible time.
Wike made the assertion while inspecting some ongoing projects in the city. The project includes the Vice Presidential Palace, roads B12, B6, Circle Road, Abuja Central Area and the Southern Parkway which is nearing completion.
The Minister assured the contractor that the necessary funds will be made available to ensure the project is completed by May 2024, and commended the contractor for the quality of work and pace of work on the project.
Speaking at the Vice Presidential Palace built by Julius Berger, Wike said: “You have promised us that this project will be completed within seven to eight months. Even if we did not mobilize you, you showed your concern by working.
“This is very important and shows that you have confidence in us. We guarantee that we will mobilize you by December. After that, by May 29, 2024. The work must be completed quickly.
“I believe you have the ability to achieve it. I also believe there is no need to wait. If you know my antecedents, you know that I do not make promises that I cannot fulfill. .
“As long as we have the support of the president and vice president, we can say please go ahead and get everything so that we can accomplish this so that any talk of abandoned real estate no longer exists. That will be a thing of the past. The personnel shows that you are really serious. So go ahead and we will give you the funds that we can mobilize.”
The Minister said he had the support of the President to identify major projects that could be realized within a year and that the projects inspected fell into that category, adding that the FCTA would continue to fund these projects. emphasized.
Mr. Wike lamented the increasing cost of implementation of projects that were awarded but abandoned many years ago, adding that this rising cost was placing a huge strain on the FCTA’s finances and hampering the growth and development of the nation’s capital. He said there was.
He said: “Look at the official residence of the vice president, which was sold in 2010 at a cost of 7 billion naira. That project was abandoned. Can we complete it within a month?” They said yes, but they can’t continue at the same cost. This is clear.
“The project, which was awarded in 2010 for 7 billion naira, was canceled due to lack of funds. They said they could not do it for less than 15 billion naira, considering the cost of building materials. told them that they would be provided with funds to complete it by the end of the month.
“For me, I am happy to see the return of the President’s promise of new hope. Residents of Abuja are now witnessing abandoned projects being completed and the promise of renewed hope for the country. They have found new hope and praise the president,” he added.
On funding projects, the minister said the administration is working on improving internal revenue (IGR) to fund projects and that FCTA is not completely dependent on federation accounts.
Here are his words: “As I’m telling you today, we’re doing very well with IGR and these funds are earmarked for specific projects, so there’s no reason to say we don’t have the funds to carry out projects, for example. , what we are doing now is submitting a budget proposal for several projects for 2023, and the President has promised to submit it to Congress.
“We are asking to be authorized to spend NOK 61 billion by 2024, because we have the money and we want to use it to implement certain projects. We will complete these projects by the 29th of May, after which we will be able to begin work on other projects for 2024. Rest assured that the projects we have started will not be abandoned.”
According to Wike, other projects along this line include the Millennium Towers, which he said will transform not only the landscape of Abuja but also the economy of the region when completed.
All the contractors were committed to delivering the project within the specified deadline.
Source: dailypost.ng