Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that the Abuja Light Rail is now ready for commercial operations.
Wike disclosed this on Monday, May 20, while inspecting the project. He said 15 million dollars, translating to more than N10 billion was expended on the rehabilitation project.
The light rail, also known as the Abuja Metro Line, would be inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu for commercial operations on May 27.
The Minister also identified facilities that were omitted during the design of the project, particularly air conditioning in the passengers’ waiting room and elevator. This would however not prevent the full operation of the metro line but make the passengers more comfortable.
He said:
“We are happy; very very happy, and we thank God the promise President Tinubu made has been kept.
We are doing well because Mr President has given us every necessary support. Assuming we are not getting support from him, this would not have been a reality today.
We are happy with the project. It is just that we identify one or two things that were omitted during the design. But we believe that during the full operations of the train, some of the things will be taken into consideration.
Particularly, I believe that as a standard metro line, where the passengers will be waiting before boarding the trains, there should be air conditioners.
I also thought that some of the stations should have had an elevator for those who are very old and those who may not have the strength to walk or climb the staircase.
Apart from that, I think we are happy with the work that has been done and we believe Nigerians will be happy, particularly the residents of FCT.”
