TheCable

Nyesom Wike, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says the Abuja rail mass transit (ARMT) should be completed in eight months.

Wike spoke on Wednesday when he inspected the rail system.

During the inspection, the FCT minister took the train ride from the metro station, through the Idu station and then to the airport station.

The rail, which was developed in six phases, was funded with loans from the China EXIM Bank.

It was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari on July 12, 2018, but the train service packed up shortly after, largely due to vandalism.

Wike frowned at the dysfunctional state of the rail system and said one of his concerns is to address challenges affecting public transportation in the FCT.

He added that if completed, the train system would significantly reduce traffic congestion in the city.

“Transportation is one of the sectors we intend to intervene in the short term to reduce traffic congestion within the city,” he said.

“I know that we have a metro station in Abuja, and it is not working. Why is it not working? Can we fix it within a short time?

“I assured the public that the rail transport system is a project we will take to a logical conclusion.

“Before commencing another project, we will need to determine which areas are the most traffic areas. This is very important to decongest areas with traffic congestion.

“The money for the rehabilitation is on ground and I have already directed the permanent secretary, FCT administration, Adesola Olusade, to make sure that the contractor is paid.

“We will work to ensure that in the coming months, this project is commissioned and put to public use.”

The minister said even though completion has been estimated to take a year, “everything should be done to reduce that time from one year to eight months so the project can be completed and commissioned by the president”.