ABUJA — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Barr. Nyesom Wike, on Thursday disclosed that about 70 per cent of the infrastructure projects completed by the FCT Administration under President Bola Tinubu were inherited projects abandoned for between 15 and 16 years.
Wike said the projects were revived in line with President Tinubu’s directive that no viable government project should be abandoned, even as the administration embarked on fresh infrastructure development across the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja, on Thursday, the minister said the FCT Administration deliberately prioritised the completion of abandoned projects before initiating new ones.
According to him, abandoning the inherited projects would have amounted to a waste of public funds and denied residents access to critical infrastructure.
“The President said we can’t abandon old projects. While we cannot abandon old projects, we must also carry out new ones.
“I can tell you that about 60 per cent of the projects we have executed in the last three years were projects awarded 15 to 16 years ago but abandoned.
“If we had allowed that, people would still be asking questions about those abandoned projects. So, we first made sure they were completed, and we have achieved that with not less than 70 per cent of them,” he said.
Wike explained that after addressing the backlog of abandoned projects, the FCT Administration proceeded to execute new road and infrastructure projects across Abuja city and the satellite towns.
He attributed the pace of infrastructure delivery to President Tinubu’s decision to remove the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account (TSA), saying the move significantly improved the Administration’s access to funds for capital projects.
According to the minister, the financial flexibility has enabled the FCT Administration to implement several road projects, bridges and other critical infrastructure aimed at improving transportation, opening up new districts and enhancing economic activities within the nation’s capital.
He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to sustaining infrastructure development across the FCT in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
