The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has pledged to speed up the construction of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit Abuja Rail Mass Transit(ARMT) System project in an effort to fulfil the May 29 deadline.
Wike underlined the need of prompt delivery during a recent inspection trip, reiterating the FCT Administration’s steadfast commitment to the enormous project.
In August 2023, the FCTA granted China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd (CCECC) a N5 billion contract for the repair of the ARMT system, with an eight-month delivery period. After taking office, Minister Wike gave the ARMT first priority among the projects that were supposed to be launched on May 29, which will be President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office.
During the inspection, Wike said, “I am very compassionate about this project.” He admitted that there had been security errors at the metro station, but he was upbeat about conquering obstacles. Wike emphasised that he had allotted money for access roads, stating that there would be no justifications for missing the project’s aggressive completion date.
The Minister did, however, express dissatisfaction at the ongoing theft and vandalism that plague the train infrastructure. Disparities in contract awarding were disclosed, and he voiced concerns over the postponed implementation of security measures. Wike promised to take action quickly to fix the security issue and to stop future theft and damage, leaving no space for justifications.
In addition, Wike condemned the condition of access roads linking the train stations, encouraging the interested corporations to speed up their work. The Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the existing state of affairs and stressed the necessity of moving quickly to guarantee the timely and effective completion of the ARMT project.
