ABUJA- AHEAD of the formal handing over to the President- Elect, General
Muhammadu Buhari, retd, May 29, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday
urged the incoming Administration not to abandon the on going projects
especially the Light Rail project in the nation’s capital city, Abuja.
President
Jonathan admitted yesterday that the Federal Government was owing
Julius Berger and other Construction firms presently working on the
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua way (Airport Road), Kubwa Outer Northern Expressway
(ONEX) and the Abuja light Rail respectively, promising that he would
pay the outstanding bills before he leaves office.
PRESIDENT-ELECT
RETIRED MAJ.-GEN. MUHAMMADU BUHARI (L) IN A HANDSHAKE WITH PRESIDENT
GOODLUCK JONATHAN DURING HIS OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA IN
ABUJA
ON FRIDAY (24/4/15).WITH THEM IS THE FORMER CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF,RETIRED LT.-GEN. ABDUHRAMAN DAMBAZAU.
Speaking
yesterday when he inspected three major ongoing projects in Abuja to
ascertain the level of completion, President Jonathan stressed that
settling the bills became imperative against the backdrop that the
projects have changed the face of the nation’s capital, Abuja, just as
he asked the President-elect, General Mohammadu Buhari, retd, to
complete all ongoing projects initiated by his administration.
The
President who took a ride in the ongoing Abuja Mass Transit Light Rail
project to personally assess the extent of its implementation, however
hailed the level of work done, disclosed that he personally inspected
progress on the project as that would guide him properly on what exactly
to tell Buhari when they meet soon to discuss.
The projects the
President inspected yesterday were the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua way (Airport
Road), Kubwa Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX) and the Abuja light Rail
respectively.
Jonathan who stressed the importance of rail
development in effective mass transit in the country as he observed that
any other way would be inefficient and more expensive, also inspected
the new rehabilitated and expanded 10-lane Airport Road named Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua Expressway which is nearing completion.
The road
project was part of the Outer Southern Expressway and Outer Northern
Expressway that had been awarded by the administration of Yar’Adua at
the cost of N257 billion in separate lots to Julius Berger, Messrs
Dantata and Sawoe and CGC Nigeria Limited.
The President, while
assessing the Airport Road, disclosed that the contract was awarded in
May 2009 and that there was 30 kilometer of telecommunication on the
road which has now changed the face of Abuja.
Meanwhile, Minister
of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Senator Bala
Mohammed who noted that the roads have reduced traffic from city center,
pointed out that there was still an outstanding bill of between N5 to
N15 billion the federal government was owing the Contractors.
Speaking
further, President Jonathan who hailed the Contractors and the FCTA
Minister, revealed that the road was now at 98 percent completion, just
as he urged the new government to ensure the completion because it
serves as a gateway to the city of Abuja, saying that the world
appreciates the road.
President Jonathan said, “I emphasised the
need for train system in terms of developing an effective mass transit
in any nation. We will be talking about mass transit and you cannot talk
about mass transit using taxis, small cars, even the luxurious buses.
It will be too expensive.
“Until our rail system works, that’s
why we are emphasising inter city and intra city, normal rail intra city
light rail systems. Of course, this government is leaving on the 29th.
The incoming government will definitely continue because this is a noble
project to Nigerians especially residents of the FCT.
“We are
quite appreciative of the level of cooperation. The CCECC has been doing
very well. Of course, the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory.
They are doing wonderfully well. I’m quite impressed. I have be wanting
to come and inspect the project for a very long time but for challenges
in terms of my commitments.
“I think, this period, I really need
to so that when I am having conversation with the incoming president, I
will know exactly what to tell him because I have seen it myself, I have
seen the level of completion. Of course, you know the usefulness of
this project in terms of easing the movement of the people in the
Federal Capital Territory. I have to congratulate Nigerians for this
project.
“It is the plan of this government to replicate this in
all the state capitals. I hope the new government will replicate it in
other state capitals. “We must make sure that the most pending bill
myself and the Finance Minister will be discussing now how to sort out
your bills before the 29th of May, be rest assured that this project
will be completed because this project has really changed the face of
Abuja.
“When you visit a country, the airport and the road
leading from the airport into the main city will give you the first
impression of the country and that’s why we are quite passionate about
it. We want to do a similar thing in Lagos, but I believe that the new
government will come up and do better, we have done well and we
appreciate what we are doing and we will also try and meet up our own
obligation.
“These projects really have improved the face of
Abuja tremendously and people come to Abuja full of praises, if you look
at all these, it is really making Abuja a real modern city, we are
quite pleased with the progress of work, and we will do our best to see
that the commitments of the government are met.”
Also
commissioning the Kubwa express way and the main terminus of the Abuja
light rail project in Idu, Federal Capital Territory, President GoodLuck
stated that the light rail was key to ensure that commuters pay less
fares which explains why the government plans for inter city rail which
would link Abuja to other cities to ensure that every city in the
country was linked to the rail system.
President Jonathan said,
“The use of Taxis, small buses, even the big buses are too expensive,
but for real effective mass transit where commuters are made to pay very
low rate, of course the rail system is key and that is why the
government has this plan for city rails like this and intercity rail
system.
“Then within the big cities, Abuja, Lagos and others, we
encourage governors of these states, where we need to partner with them,
we partner with them, where they can do it alone, they do it to make
sure that we have within the city like within these phases , though we
are leaving on the 29th of May, I believe that by the time we finish
this main lot one and two, this other one to come on stream maybe in two
years time or in five years time, but I believe that it will come on
stream.
“When people begin to enjoy this and commuters now know
the cost implication that the savings is low for them, we will implore
the government to handle the other one, I believe it will surely come on
board, we are very hopeful that Nigerians especially residents of the
FCT will enjoy this when it is ready.
Speaking further, FCTA
Minister, Senator Mohammed explained that some of the advantages of the
project include, to reduce the travel time on the busy airport express
road, to create employment as well as improve the socio- economic well
being of Nigeria citizens.
He said, “We must accept and
appreciate what the federal government has done in terms of financing
this project and the outstanding payment of this project which is about
N5 billion and of cause looking at the total amount of the project you
will discover the the federal government has done very well.”
Also
speaking while inspecting the light rail project at Idu, Director of
Transport, FCT Transport Secretariat, Alex Usuma, revealed that the
official date of completion of the rail project remains December 2015.
He added that the project is already at 61 percent completion.
According
to him the administration was working on lot 1A and 3 at the moment
because of financial constraints, adding that the start point of the
rail service will be the location where the NNPC mega station presently
occupies.
Credit: Vanguard Nigeria
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