By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has vowed to bring the Abuja Metro Station back to life by providing the necessary funding for the rehabilitation of the Rail Station to make it functional and to alleviate the suffering of commuters.
Barrister Wike who made the pledge in Abuja on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, shortly after an inspection tour of the rail mass transit infrastructure in the nation’s capital,.
He emphasized that in line with the mandate of appointed Ministers to solve problems and not make excuses, everything possible would be done to ensure that the Abuja metro system is completed and put into use.
Barrister Wike who was accompanied on the inspection tour by the Minister of State, Dr Mariya MahmOud, management staff of the FCT Administration and journalists, said the Abuja metro station was designed to improve transportation in the FCT, noting that its completion would also restore the confidence of the citizenry in the government.
The Minister noted that it was important to concentrate on specific lots of the ongoing rail mass transit system in the FCT and get them completed, especially in parts of the city where the traffic is heavy in order to decongest the roads.
He said, “When I assumed office, I said we have short term deliverables, we have medium and long term. Transport is one of those things that we can do in order to reduce the level of traffic within the city and we know that we have this metro station here and it’s not working. Why is it not working? Can we fix it within the short term so that people will say yes, this is now working.”
“So, our position is that whatever it is, the company that it has been awarded the contract, we will sit down to say for how long do you think you can complete this and then ask ourselves, do we have the resources to make sure that we don’t come back to explain to members of the public, this is why it was not finished.”
So, I can assure the public, this is one project we must take to logical conclusion. It is not going to be a project we just abandon. Let’s complete this before we go to other lots, the Minister stressed.
The FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmud who was also present at the rail station disclosed that rail transportation is among the palliatives that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intends to use to alleviate the hardship in the country, following the recent removal of fuel subsidy.
Director Transportation, Engr. Joseph Akinteye explained that the Lots 1A and 3 of the Abuja rail mass transit system, which starts from Idu to Bazango and from the Metro station in the Central Business District to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, respectively have already been completed, except for about 5 kilometers in the Lot A from Bazango station to Kubwa where many residents stand to benefit from the project.
In the same manner, Contract for the Lot 1B from Gwagwa to Garki, which is designed to reduce the traffic within the city, according to him, has been awarded but is awaiting the release of funds while Lot 2, designed to reduce the traffic around the Maraba/Nyanya axis is segmented into three – 2A from the Eagle Square to the ECOWAS Secretariat, down to Nyanya and Karu; 2B which also starts from the Eagle Square to Maitama, then to Gwarimpa and to Deidei, while 2C starts from Garki and continues to join Lot 1B.
He explained that Lot 4 which is looped to all other lots within the city, Lot 4b to link Karshi to Kuje, while lot 5 will continue from Bwari to Suleja and link up with the national line coming from Minna in Niger State, adding that Lot 6 will start from the Airport and link up to Kuje and Gwagwalada, terminating at Dobi in Gwagwlada Area Council.
TheMinister, in company of the Minister of State and senior officials took a ride on the train from the Metro Station to the airport with a brief stop-over at the Idu station.
