Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has reiterated the FCT Administration's commitment to developing the FCT through the provision of access roads.
Barr. Wike said this while flagging off the construction of the access road, leading to the site of the new Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) academy in Giri District, Abuja on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the Minister said the provision of access roads would encourage the development of the real estate sector, enhance access to the markets for agricultural produce, and also decongest the Abuja city center.
Noting that some parts of the FCT were undeveloped due to the lack of access roads, the FCT Minister said, “With the access road, everybody will come and develop, and that is what we are looking for so that we will decongest the city.”
The Minister clarified that the road was not being constructed specifically for the EFCC but to open up a part of the FCT where the EFCC's new academy is also located, thereby making them a beneficiary of the road project.
He said, “The community is also going to benefit. People will now build houses, and farmers will bring their produce to the city. That is the whole essence of opening up everywhere.
“So, let it not be said that we are building roads for the EFCC. We are not building roads for the EFCC. We are building roads to open up access and develop areas and of course, they are one of the beneficiaries”.
The FCT Minister thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the opportunity to contribute to the FCT's infrastructural development and for providing the necessary funding and support for the FCT Administration.
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He also assured the contractor of the availability of funds and urged them to ensure the project's timely completion. He said it would be commissioned by May next year to mark the President's second anniversary in office.
The Minister further urged the contractor to also positively relate to the host community by giving them employment opportunities during the road project's execution.
Earlier in his remark, the Chairman, EFCC, Olanipekun Olukoyede, who was represented by the Secretary of the Commission, Malam Muhammed Hamma-Joda, thanked President Tinubu and the FCT Minister for their commitment to the provision of infrastructure in the FCT.
In his goodwill message, Senator David Jimkuta, Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, also commended the FCT Minister's developmental efforts, saying that the construction of the access road will stimulate economic activities in the FCT.
Senator Jimkuta observed that about 79 percent of the capital projects approved in the 2024 budget for the FCT have been implemented. He expressed confidence that the FCT will achieve 100 percent implementation by the end of the year. He also pledged the continued support of the National Assembly for the FCT Administration.
Giving an overview of the project, the Acting Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda, said the 3-kilometer access road commences from the airport expressway at the Bill Clinton Interchange and descends to the EFCC academy site at plot 18 in Giri District.
He added that the road project, which will be completed in 9 months, will be fitted with all the facilities of a well-planned road and will enhance rapid development within the area.
While committing to deliver the project on time, Elie Tannous, the Managing Director of Levant Construction Ltd, the contractor handling the project, also thanked the FCT Minister for giving the company the opportunity to execute the project.
