By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The FCT Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike has promised the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory of three road projects each before the end of 2024.
Wike made this commitment on Friday as he flagged off the construction of the 7.2 kilometre Gaba- Tokula rural road in Bwari Area Council.
The minister also promised that aside the Gaba- Tokula road ,an additional two roads will be constructed in the Council.
The minister said that is part of the 30 kilometer road project earmarked and directed to be in the six Area Councils in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Bwari Area Council Chairman ,Hon. John Gabaya had used the occasion to inform the minister of some abandoned road projects under the Federal Capital Territory Development Administration, FCDA, which the minister assured to complete under his administration.
He said, “All your requests of abandoned projects, which were initially to be carried out by the FCDA, I can assure you, by the directive of Mr. President, go home and sleep with your two eyes closed. Those projects must be started again. I can assure you that.”
Wike disclosed that the six Area Council Chairman in the territory were directed to nominate roads for construction in their Area Councils, as instructed by the President, which provision was in the 2023 National Supplementary Budget for construction of these roads.
He said, “As I speak to you, all the Area Councils, apart from the one we are flagging off today, this year, will have two more roads. In essence, in this year, each Area Council will be having three roads, which has never happened since the creation of FCT as the Federal Capital Territory.”
The Minister, while blaming the problem of insecurity and rural urban migration in the FCT partly on the lack of basic infrastructure in the rural parts of the FCT, assured that the FCT Administration is ready to change the narrative by providing the needed infrastructure, in line with the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President.
The FCT Minister urged the contractors working at the site to provide opportunity to the youths, men, and women who are willing to work to enable they fend for their families, adding that job creation is a priority of the administration of President Tinubu.
Meanwhile, Wike has warned against any form of civil service bureaucratic sabotage and bottlenecks in the execution of the projects by officials of the FCTA, as he will not tolerate such.
He charged Directors in the FCTA to expediate action on payments of contractors working on the various projects in the FCT to avoid unnecessary delays in the execution of the projects.
The minister said, “This is not a period where you bring bureaucracy into what we are doing. The minute a file to you to pay contractors, the file will stay in your office for two weeks. Woe be unto you that will do anything that will not make this project to go on well because you will become enemy to the people.”
“So, take it seriously so that when the file comes to you, do it immediately and see that the payment of contractors is being processed and paid to them because when you keep the file, you suffer the payment and the communities will suffer.”I’m not going to tolerate that. Anybody who sabotages our efforts will also be sabotaged. So have it at the back of your mind”.
He also appealed to the traditional rulers and youths to take ownership of the projects and support the efforts of the government, saying it would encourage the government to provide them with many more projects.
On funds for the projects, the Minister reiterated that the FCT Administration under his leadership will not award any project without cash backing, and assured the contractors that their funds would be paid as at when due.
On the issue of insecurity, he said the Administration is addressing the security challenges in Bwari Area Council, to fight insecurity in the Council.
He said, “Whether the criminals are here, whether they are not here, whether their relatives are here, go and tell them to be ready. If you are an informant, go and be ready. The time for you to go has come.”
” We will do everything possible to make sure you will not sleep”, he warned the criminals.
He told the criminals, Anywhere you are, we will come to you. We have all it takes to fight you back now. Yes, you may have succeeded yesterday, yes you may have succeeded today, but tomorrow, you will not succeed and when we catch you, forget it. Gone are the days when you will go back to say that they released you. Nobody will release you.”
Minister of State, FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud said the FCT Administration is making efforts to reduce infrastructural deficit in the rural parts of the FCT by providing them with motorable roads.
Mahmoud stated that the provision of rural roads will enhance connectivity, reduce the challenge of insecurity and open opportunities for trade and commerce in the rural communities.
The Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Hon. John Gabaya, appreciated the minister for his second visit to Bwari within a short time, and thanked him for his support in the fight against insecurity.
Hon. Gabaya, stated that the Gaba-Tokula road will connect many villages and improve accessibility of the rural areas to the urban areas, as well as help to improve the security of lives and properties in the Area Council.
Furthermore, the Sarkin Bwari, HRH Awwal Musa Ijakoro and the Etsu Bwari, HRH Ibrahim Yaro, noted that the absence of good roads was posing a serious challenge to the Bwari Area Council, especially the rural areas whose inhabitants are predominantly farmers and thanked the FCT Administration for the efforts to provide access roads.
The Etsu who announced the decision of the people of the council to crown the Minister as the Barden Bwari, also made presentation of gifts of two cows and Yam to the Ministers in appreciation of their support for the Council.
While the Director overseeing the Satellite Town Development Department, STDD, Olusegun Olusa, assured that the STDD will carry out proper supervision of the project to ensure its timely delivery.
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