By Stanley Onyekwere
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike has declared that the FCT Administration is currently providing the infrastructure needed for the development of the Abuja Industrial Park, located in Idu industrial zone of the nation’s capital city.
Making this disclosure yesterday during a visit to the site, Wike who described the Park as mind-burgling due to its tremendous benefits to the city, recalled that the government gave out the land to the developers, Zeberced Group, 12 years ago.
Expressing optimism that the Park when completed, will be a wonder land, the minister said it will help to grow the economy, as it will create not less than forty thousand direct jobs.
He said: “We gave out this land to them 12 years ago. We are constructing that road. Without that road, this industrial park cannot take place. So, government is providing the infrastructure that we need for the development of this industrial park.
“So many companies will have opportunity to come in here because now there is a free zone for them, and will have regular electricity, which is what keeps manufacturers going.
“There is no government that will not support this kind of investment, and having gone round, we can attest to the fact that this is what we really need to grow our economy.
” There is a single carriage way being done by Salini, and in order to complement the efforts of what the government is doing, the company offered to also carry out the construction of the other single carriage to make it dual carriageway.
“We will not hesitate to make that approval which has been made for finalizing the cost, I have directed the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to make sure that everything is put in place to fastrack the approval coming out from the Federal Ministry of Finance, so that the company can start construction of the other lane, so that every body will benefit
“This is mind-burgling. This is my first time of coming to the Abuja Industrial Park. As far as I am concerned, I have never seen this in the entire country. This is the first time am seeing this. Some people have being conceptualizing industrial park, this will be a wonder land.
“We will be like giving them some tax credit so that they will be able to do that road which is about eight to ten kilometers. If that is done, then you know that, already, we would benefit tremendously.
“You can imagine how the whole of Idu will be developed. This is what every government craves for, and we must give them the necessary support.
“You don’t need to be told, having seen what is going on, it will happen in the next three- four years and they have assured us that if that approval is given, in eight to nine months, they would have completely completed the construction, and then all of this area will be open.”
On his part, while taking the minister and his entourage round the facility, Managing Director of Zeberced Group, Adil Aydin Kurt disclosed that there are 208 workshops, 200 factories that will supply small scale industries in the area.
He disclosed that they have already gotten approval from the federal government for the free trade zone status of the Park, so as to attract the desired investments to realise its huge economic benefits to the Territory.
Our correspondent reports that the subsidiary industrial area is designed on a 97.000 m2 land, to provide land to small sized ventures to supply spare
parts, maintenance and other services to meet the demands of the Park companies.
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