By Stanley Onyekwere
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has restated commitment to completing the going Abuja water project, which was conceived to tackle water challenge in many parts of the nation’s capital city.
Bello, who took members of the Senate Committee on FCT, who came for Oversight function, round the water works and other priority project sites in Abuja, said the project was conceived to solve water problems in many parts of the city.
He appealed to the lawmakers to pay urgent attention to the project, so that the administration will meet up with it’s 20 percent counter part funding for the project.
He however, thanked the committee for the tremendous amount of support it has been giving the FCTA, and for taken time out of their busy schedule to visit and see a fraction of the projects been handled by FCTA.
According to him: “ In our two days of outting, we concentrated only on few projects within the city, covering roads and water projects. We also have a number of projects in the satellite towns covering roads, water and power projects.
“Basically, as we round up this administration, our efforts are to complete as many projects as possible based on the prioritisation according to the funds available, but with the support of the committee.
“We are thinking of alternative sources of funding, so that some of these critical projects that are time-bound will be completed within the stipulated period”.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Tolu Odebiyi said the purpose of the project tour was to determine FCT’s priority projects, so as to know where to appropriate funds to, during budget presentation.
Odebiyi noted that after seen the projects and their importance, he would galvanise the support of other lawmakers to ensure that the water works and other projects were completed in time.
He said: “We want to know what there priority projects are so that when they will present their budgets, we will know Which funds to be made available for which project.
“ I must also commend the team of FCTA for the extent of the work which they are doing . We have seen a number of projects and we are highly impressed.
“ The greater Abuja Water Works is also very impressive work and is being funded by China EXIM bank, a foreign currency bank . I think it is important that we look at that so that we can make plans for the counter part funding”, he added.
On his part, Zhang Xiang, Project Manager of CGC Nigeria Ltd, the Contractor handling the project, said the speed of the water works was impeded by paucity of funds.
He disclosed that the China EXIM bank has released about $150 million dollars from its 80 percent counter part funding, and may not release more if, FCT fails to provide its own 20 percent.
He therefore urged the Lawmakers to expedite action on the release of 20 percent counter part funding which Nigerian government through FCT was supposed to provide.
