Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike announced on Thursday that Nigerians would enjoy free train rides in the nation’s capital for two months.
He spoke in Abuja at the Ministerial Sectoral Updates as part of activities to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s one year in office.
The first session of the Sectoral Briefing has in attendance the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu; Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike; Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Ibrahim Bio; Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu; Minister of State for FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmud; Minister of State Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and Minister of State for Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande.
The FCT Minister said with the level of infrastructural projects going on in the FCT, “by this time next year, Abuja can compete with every other city of the world in terms of road network.”
According to him, President Tinubu’s approval for the removal of FCT from the Treasury Single Account, TSA, had been very strategic in the achievements recorded by the FCT under his watch.
He revealed that President Tinubu would commission the commercial operation of the Abuja metro line and clarified that what was commissioned in the past was a building.
“We are not talking of commissioning buildings but the commercial operation.
“There were no access roads to the stations which impeded the operation of the metro line.
“The President will ride on the metro line on Monday, 27th May; it will be your turn, Nigerians, as from Tuesday.
“And there will be free rides for two months, to reduce the pain on our people, that is what is called Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Wike, who took time to marshal out the government’s achievements under the FCT, said infrastructure, security and education had received serious attention.
“How was Abuja before? Every day was kidnapping, one chance and all of that.
“But when we came on board, we visited the 6 Area Councils and interacted with the people. They said there were no roads, security agencies had no access roads.
“We took it up from there and all the Area Councils can attest to the fact that by December this year, we will commission up to 120 kilometres of roads.
“We have also provided security agencies with all the logistics they need, it’s not like before. The moment they want to go for an operation, logistics are made available.
“You can now sleep with your two eyes closed; even though no society is 100 percent crime-free, but is the situation different? Yes, you can attest to the fact that it is no longer what it used to be,” he disclosed.
The Minister also recalled that the impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda was being felt in the FCT civil service.
He said upon assumption of office, it was discovered that the civil servants in the FCT had no hope.
According to him, “the civil servants were not in a position to put in their best; they could not grow in rank; they were stagnated at the director level.
“When we came in, we looked at the law passed and assented to in 2018; we wrote the President and he approved the immediate implementation of that law.
“Today, we have the FCT Civil Service Commission, Permanent Secretary, and Head of Service of FCT; so they have hope now. As far as structure is concerned, Mr President has given them that hope.
“In the area of education, over 19 schools are being rehabilitated.”
Wike, who declared that the current government had carried the indigenous people of Abuja along more than previous administrations, assured that every part of the FCT, including the satellite towns, would feel the impact of the Tinubu government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.