Wike insists on May 29 delivery date for Abuja light rail

MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far on the Abuja light rail project, reassuring that its delivery on May 29 is sacrosanct.

The minister gave the assurance, yesterday, after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations from Metro Train Station in Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

He reassured journalists, who accompanied him on the inspection tour, that the rail project would be commissioned on May 29 by President Bola Tinubu to mark his one year in office. News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that the stations visited included Wupa, close to Idu; and Bassanjiwa, close to the airport.

“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see what the contractors have been doing. We are working day and night to see that we fulfil the promise we made to President Tinubu and residents of the FCT; that by May, the President will ride on the Metro line.

“We want to have access roads to the various train stations, because if you do not create access roads to the communities, who will be using the train? Then the aim is defeated,’’ he said.

The immediate past governor of Rivers State acknowledged the seriousness of the contractors to deliver the project.

He added: “You have heard what the representative of the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation ( CCECC) Limited said; that they would be working day and night to see that the project is completed.

“For me, it is a major project, so that it can reduce the influx of vehicles into the city. It is going to help us,” he said.

On availability of funds, the minister said the FCT Administration was fully prepared and had secured some funding sources to deliver the projects.

Speaking on insecurity that might affect the workers on site, Wike assured that security had improved significantly in the territory.