Wike said this during his inspection of the ongoing Abuja Light Rail project on Thursday, where he said maximum security must be put in place at the facility.
He said, “I cannot be happy if in May this year we are not able to operate this metro line. It will be very disastrous for me and then, even all these stations from what I have seen, the designs are very poor. Whoever might have approved the design is unfair to Nigerians. I have told CCECC that these designs are not even acceptable in their countries.”
The minister expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of work, particularly in relation to the perimeter fencing of the metro stations in the Central Business District.
Addressing security concerns, Wike recalled his previous visit and the deadline he had set for the completion of the fencing project.
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He expressed disappointment upon discovering that the contract for the fencing was not awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) as initially assumed.
Wike vowed to address this discrepancy promptly to ensure the project’s security aspects are in place.
He said; “This is one project that I am so passionate about, and you know that Mr. President gave me a directive that must not be taken for granted. Therefore, we have to come and make sure that things ard in good shape.
“When we first visited the metro station, I discovered that there were many security lapses and I remember when I first came after our inauguration, I did say that we have to work on the issue of security by putting up the fence around the Metro Station in order to ward off criminals but unfortunately, that has not been done.
“To my surprise, it was discovered that the contract was not even awarded to CCECC, it is a different contract awarded by the FCT and this is my first time of hearing that and we are going to take it up immediately to see that it is put in place because you cannot talk of operations, when you have not taken care of the issue of security. So, security for us is key.”
Source: Thewhistler