Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has warned officials of the Administration against sabotaging rural road projects under his watch in the area councils.
He gave the warning at the flag-off of the 7.2km Gaba-Tokulo-Kaima road in Bwari Area council on Friday.
Wike told Bwari residents that all abandoned Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) projects, as identified by the chairman of the council, will be resuscitated.
He said his administration will not tolerate delays of files by officials due to civil servant bureaucracy.
The minister explained that he would not be involved in the awarding of contracts without money, which he described as the greatest scam.
Wike said, “I’m not going to be involved in the award of any contract when we don’t have money, and that is why as I came on board, I try to discourage directors from this idea of putting a project when there is no money; it doesn’t make sense.
He called on traditional rulers and other residents to cooperate with the contractor to execute the project.
“The greatest scam you do to community people is flagging off a project, and the next month you don’t see any contractor again; that is the highest scam.
“We will not be involved in that. If I start a project, it must be completed; I am not going to do a project that will last more than one year; I won’t be a party to that.
“A project that will cost you six billion naira, then you go and put in the budget three hundred million naira; are you willing to complete that project then? Certainly not. So, we are going to change the narrative; we are going to change the way people used to do things before. We are going to do something that will have a direct impact on the people.
“Tinubu asks me to tell Bwari Area Council people that all they requested should be given to them; therefore, all your requests on the abandoned projects which were initially to be carried out by FCDA, I can assure you that, by the directive of the president, go home and sleep with your two eyes closed; those projects must be restarted.
“Part of insecurity is as a result of a lack of basic infrastructure; people don’t have access to roads, making things difficult for even security agencies to carry out their jobs very well. Each day you hear that there is a crisis in the neighboring communities; how can the police and other security agencies go there when there is no good road?
“I told the civil servants that this is not going to be a period where they will bring bureaucracy to what they are doing. The minute a file comes to you, do what the payment of contractors will be processed and pay them because when you keep the file, you suffer the project, and who will suffer? The community suffers. I am not going to tolerate that; anybody who sabotages our efforts will also be sabotaged, so have it at the back of your mind.”
On his part, the chairman Bwari Area council, John Gabaya, said the Gaba-Tokulo-Kaima road project was initiated during the administration of former head of state, Ibrahim Babangida, among many other abandoned projects in the area.
Earlier, Esu Bwari, Ibrahim Yaro, commended the minister for identifying with the people and pledged to provide the necessary support for the project to be executed.
Yaro also gave a traditional title of ‘Barden Bwari,’ (protector or defender of Bwari people).
