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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, voiced his disappointment during a tour of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit Scheme, commonly known as the Abuja Light Rail Project. Accompanied by senior officials of the FCTA, Wike inspected the Abuja Metro Station in the Central Business District, the Kukwaba II Train station, and the station's access road, which is still under construction.
Wike's visit aimed to assess the pace and quality of work on the light rail project ahead of its scheduled commissioning ceremony in May 2024. However, the minister expressed dissatisfaction with the observed state of affairs, particularly highlighting security lapses at the Abuja Metro Station.
He criticized the poor designs, emphasizing that those responsible for approving them were unfair to Nigerians. Wike, who appeared disappointed, conveyed his displeasure to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the company involved in the project.
Wike remarked, "From what I have seen, the designs are very poor. Whoever may have approved the designs is unfair to Nigerians." He further stated that if he had known about the issues earlier, he would not have committed to the project's readiness for May 2024. The minister emphasized that excuses would not be tolerated.
Expressing his concern about potential consequences, Wike stated, "But frankly speaking, knowing where I’m coming from, having presided over projects like this, I’m not in a happy mood at all."
Wike acknowledged the importance of visiting the project site firsthand to avoid relying solely on field reports.
