The secretary, Federal Capital Territory Transportation Secretariat, Jonathan Ivoke, on yesterday gave an insight into the slow pace of work on the Abuja Light rail Project, attributing it to lack of funds.
Ivoke, who disclosed this when the Senate Committee on FCT, led by its chairman, Senator Smart Adeyemi, visited the secretariat on oversight function disclosed that since 2009 when the contract was awarded, only N21.68 billion, of the N106 billion contract sum for Lots 1 and 3 of the project had been paid, just as the $500m Chinese loan envisaged had not materialised.
He lamented that the light rail project was not started when it ought to have been done which was why Abuja at this stage was still grappling with it.
He added that the administration commenced studies to come up with a plan that would see to the completion of the entire lots of the project within the next 10 years, just as he said the administration was planning to develop the other corridors of the project through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
He added that the administration commenced studies to come up with a plan that would see to the completion of the entire lots of the project within the next 10 years, just as he said the administration was planning to develop the other corridors of the project through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
In his remarks, Adeyemi, who toured the project called for the prosecution of past FCT Ministers who abused their office and allocated land for purpose other than their original intent by the Abuja Master Plan
He said while officials of the FCT at that time would have to answer for their disregard for the law, the developers too should take responsibility for their actions.
He advised the developers who may suffer loss from the impending demolition of their structures to sue the ministers who allocated the land when it was obvious that the area had been earmarked for train stations, which he noted was more beneficial to the city than the structures and added that developers would not be compensated for deliberating partnering with the officials of the FCT to offend the master plan.
“I do not think we will allow the money of the federal government to be used to compensate people who deliberately put up illegal structures. I do not think they deserve compensation because in the master plan these areas have been earmarked for train stations,” he added.
Adeyemi said the Senate would call for public hearing on the matter and explain to the minister why there would be no need for compensation.
One of the structures to be affected by the demolition is the NNPC Mega Filling Station located on the corridors of the rail tracks that would be passing through the Central Business District.
SOURCE: Leadership Newspaper, 20 October 2011. http://www.leadership.ng/nga/
No comments:
Post a Comment