Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Nyesome Wike has vowed to pay personal attention to the speedy completion of the Apo/Karshi road project, to alternative routes for commuters on the outskirts plying into Abuja.
The road was awarded 13 years ago but has been stalled by a series of intrigues including political interest.
Inspecting the status of the project, Wike said “I would take this road as a personal project now, to make sure that we complete this road.
“I want to appeal to the communities to bear with us, that the renewed hope agenda will be serious and do things for them that will be happy at the end of the day. That is why we are here.”
According to the FCTA Minister, he was not confident in the capacity of the present contractor handling the road project to deliver as scheduled.
The Minister who lamented that he was not happy with what he saw on the ground said “This is due to politics.”
According to the Minister, “The situation here is very unfortunate and that is why people have lost confidence in the government. This is why this present government with the Renewed Hope Agenda is bringing back that confidence of people.
“I can’t believe that for the past 13 years, this project was awarded. First of all, I don’t see a reason why we should do a road from Karshi to Arah, which is Nasarawa State, which means it is an interstate road. Interstate roads have to do with the federal government. FCT cannot fund an interstate road except if it becomes a joint venture. Therefore, I am not going to waste the resources of FCT to do interstate roads.
“The one that concerns FCT particularly is the Karshi-Apo. It is very unfortunate that for 13 good years, this road has been abandoned and I want to clearly state that part of the problem we have here is politics. Everything we politicize and that is why the development cannot get quickly to our people.
“I am happy that this new administration of Renewed Hope Agenda will do everything possible to see the area of Karshi to Apo is completed but my doubt is about the capacity of the contractor. I don’t need to be told when you go to a site and you see where the company is working, you can say that this company has capacity.
“We’ve been to several sites, and all of us can attest to the fact that when you see equipment, you can say that if they tell you they can finish the work in the next month, you’d believe that they’d finish in the next one month. But this I don’t believe even if you put all the resources down.
“Again if you go and terminate the contract, then you would also have to pay the cost of it. So these are the problems,” the Minister noted.
READ ALSO: Abba Moro mislead Senate over Benue LGs – Onjeh
He warned, “I want to urge the contractor, that it will no longer be business as usual. I don’t care who you are. I don’t care where you come from. You must show that you will be serious. In the next few weeks, I want to see your equipment on the ground before funds will be released.
I will not release funds to you when I have not seen your capacity. So they must move their equipment to the site and then they can convince me. But I can tell you here that I am not happy. This is not what citizens bargained for.
“I was told that another company was awarded this aspect of the road, and I am going to invite the company back. Look at how they awarded the jobs, you can see the political interest in the whole thing and again with the connivance of the staff of the STDD.”
