The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he will get all contractors back on site under his direct supervision and the office of the Minister of State.
Wike, who stated this at the opening of a meeting with contractors handling different projects in the FCT, added that Abuja would soon become a construction site, as promised.
“After our inauguration, we outlined our short-, medium-, and long-term plans to reposition the capital city, after which we went out to inspect projects that were awarded before us but abandoned for one reason or another. The time has come for action.
“First of all, on the metro light train, President Bola Tinubu has given us a matching order that he wants to ride on the metro light train. So, it is a key project that we must achieve,” he said.
Wike added that Tinubu had equally complained about abandoned projects, particularly roads that were part of critical infrastructure.
Describing road networks as “key infrastructure” that makes a city, the minister pointed out that the issues of sanitation, streetlights, and shanties were being addressed.
“But the roads are very key, and so we are trying to see how we can map out strategies and structure funding so that we do not have problems with completion.
“I am determined to get every contractor back on site with direct supervision from my office and the office of the Minister of State.
“The major problem we are having in this country is the problem of supervision, and so we are not going to tolerate anything below standard.
“If there are people you have been working with that have compromised standards, too bad, too bad; not with me. I am not going to accept anything that is below standard,” he said.
The minister said that together with the contractors, they would restructure how to fund projects so that all contractors could go back to site and work.
He added that the ministry would not fund projects based only on the national budget, adding that projects would also be funded with resources from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“I want to achieve results, so I will not award a contract when I do not have money to fund it.
“We are going to fund you, and you will tell us the time within which the project will be completed. If we agreed to three months, it is three months; if I give six months, it is six months.
“We do not want to hear this happened, and this did not happen. I do not want to hear any excuses at all,” Wike told the contractors.
He assured the commencement of all abandoned projects in all sections of the FCT, stressing that the measure would create employment.
He noted that when contractors are working, they create more employment but sack staff when they are not working, thereby creating problems for the country.
