By Stanley Onyekwere
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike, has pledged to make available the required funds for the completion of the abandoned official residence of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Wike, particularly urged the contractor handling the project, Messers Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, to do everything possible to ensure the completion of the project by May, 2024.
The Minister who spoke yesterday when he led some key officials of FCT Administration on an inspection of the project, praised the construction giant for displaying strong commitment towards the completion of the project by mobilizing to site even without formally mobilized by the government.
It was gathered that the project, which was awarded in 2010 at the cost of N7 billion, had since been abandoned by over purported paucity of funds.
However, Wike said in line with the present administration’s renewed hope project, President Bola Tinubu had directed him to complete all the abandoned projects to raise the people’s hope in the Nigeria project.
He noted that although the contractor had said the contract sum has to be increased from N7 billion to N15 billion, due to rising cost of materials in the market, the Administration is determined to finish the project in record time.
According to him: ‘’I have come to see the project and we have told them (the contractor) that we will fund them very well before the end of the month so that they will be able to finish it.”
Furthermore, the Minister, who also inspected some ongoing road projects within the Southern Parkway of the city centr, expressed satisfaction with the level of work done so far.
“We are happy that the residents of Abuja has now seen that projects abandoned are being completed, and those who have lost hope can now see that there is still hope for this country.
“We are doing everything possible to improve on our IGR, and as I speak today we have done very well in terms of IGR, this money will be attached to specific projects, so that we don’t any issue of not having money to this project.
“What we are doing now, is that we have submitted a supplementary budget for 2023, and Mr. President has approved to transmit it to the National Assembly. We are asking that we should be allowed to spend N61 billion before the 2024 (budget), because we have the money, and we want to use that money for specific projects, so that by May 29th these projects are completed.
“This assures that no project that we have started we will be abandoned.What you are going to see from next year is something else. This is achievable”, Wike stressed.
On his part, the representative of the company handling the project, Mr. Oliver Berger, commended the minister’s belief in the project and assured of timely completion of the project.
In a related development, the Minister has inaugurated a taskforce to critically examine the land swap policy started by his predecessors, but since 2012 it had suffered set back, due to several factors.
