By Daniel Tyokua
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, on Monday, conducted an inspection tour of ongoing strategic projects within and at the suburbs of Abuja.
The inspection is to beam search light on the contractors handling the projects and ascertain readiness of the work for commemoration of President Bola Tinubu’s administration third year in office.
Fielding questions from journalists after the inspection, the Minister lauded the firms for the pace of ongoing projects.
The projects visited include the access roads to the Renewed Hope Estates in Karsana, the N16 dual carriageway linking Jahi and Gwarimpa, the full scope development of Kuje Highway 105 and the dualization of the Kuje/Gwagwalada road.
Regarding the Highway 105 project from the Airport expressway to Kuje, Wike said the road project, when completed will allow residents to commute seamlessly from the satellite towns to the city centre.
“Obviously you don’t need to come and stay in the city. You can come to work from Kuje and go back on time”, he said, and praised the contractors for the quality of work and commitment to timelines.
On the FCT Masterplan, Wike also visited a site in the Guzape District where a designated green area was being illegally converted into a residential estate and ordered its immediate demolition.
He warned that the administration would not tolerate lawlessness or the collusion of civil servants with developers in land-grabbing schemes.
According to him, “This place was given as a green area, but from what we are seeing now, they want to develop it into an estate which is a violation.
“This is the kind of things we have always complained about. People will use different strategies to get land from government but at the end of the day, they will do a different thing. So, we have to demolish it and we are also going to withdraw the approval he has because it was not given to him to develop estate”, Wike said.
The Minister reiterated that the law must be obeyed to maintain the integrity of the city, regardless of any attempts to use court delays as a strategy.
Wike also commended security agencies in the FCT for keeping the nation’s capital safe and secure.
On the recent kidnapping incidents in satellite towns, the Minister stated that the FCT administration and security agencies have successfully foiled numerous plots that often go unpublicized and called for commendation and support for the security forces. He further noted that the rescue of kidnapped victims in Bwari was a testament to the ongoing efforts of the security agencies.
He said, “There is nowhere in this world, be it any developed country, that you will say there is no crime. I don’t believe there is banditry in Abuja, but again, it’s a city where people will want to come and do all kinds of things like kidnapping. So, it will be difficult for anybody to say that in a city, you will not have one form of crime or the other” Wike said.
