Abuja - August 29 - (Viewpoint Housing News) – The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Monday, said the ministry will mobilize contractors to resume work on several ongoing or abandoned projects in the FCT. He also said as road resurfacing projects are set to commence in Garki and Wuse Districts of Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Having hinted at an increased allocation from the federal government to improve projects funding in the FCT, he assured that money will be made available for the projects.
Wike who made this disclosure in a statement released in Abuja where he met with heads of over 15 construction companies working on different projects in the FCT.
The FCT Minister who said Abuja is “now a construction site”, revealed that acting on the order of President Bola Tinubu, the Abuja Metro line will be completed for usage, “ongoing road projects in the FCT would also be completed to improve the road network in the nation’s capital”, he added.
“The Administration will restructure how projects are funded by tying specific projects to internally generated revenue (IGR) sources, as against relying solely on federal allocations, the statement quotes Mr. Wike.
“Now the time has come for action. First of all, on the metro line, those of you who heard what Mr. President said yesterday (at the NBA Annual General Convention), he did give a marching order that he wants to ride on the metro line and so it’s a key project that we must achieve.
“We are going to restructure how we fund you so that you go back to site and do work. I don’t want to hear that this happened and this didn’t happen. Ordinarily, I would have gone back to look at performance or no performance, but I feel there is no need to go back. Let’s move forward and see what we can achieve.
“I have agreed with the Hon. Minister of State and I have told the management that we must restructure the way projects are funded. We must not fund projects depending only on the national budget. We must also fund projects through our direct internally generated revenue. I will not be a party to give out contract and then there is no money to fund.
“We are going to fund you, give you your money to go to site then you will tell us the time within which the project will be finished because I’m going to attach funds to it. If we agree on three months, it’s three months. If I give six months, it’s six months. I hear no excuses at all because I know that we are not going to owe. Yes, we are not going to owe.”
Wike also warned that the FCTA will not tolerate any work that is below standard, stressing, that all the ongoing projects will be directly supervised by his office and the office of the Minister of State to ensure compliance.
“We are determined to make sure every contractor goes back to site, not just going back to site but with direct supervision from my office and office of the Minister of State, he said.
“The major problem we are having in this country is the lack of supervision. We are not going to tolerate anything below standard. If there are people you are working with who have been compromising standard, too bad. It’s not with me. I’m not going to accept anything that is below standard”.
