…Wike commissions N50bn rehabilitated lower Usuma Dam Phase 2
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday vowed that no amount of intimidation or blackmail would derail his focus on delivering the dividends of democracy.
Wike said the right thing will continue to prevail as long as he remains the minister of FCT.
The Minister disclosed this while commissioning the newly rehabilitated Phase 2 of the Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plant in the Bwari area council.
Wike’s statement was a response to reports alleging that the FCT administration was indebted to local contractors to the tune of N5 billion.
The minister said, “Let me use this opportunity to tell people that no amount of blackmail will stop us from being focused. I will never be intimidated. You see, the problem in this country is that when you want to fight corruption, corruption will fight you back, and it’s corruption that is fighting back. We are going to defeat corruption”.
He denied knowledge of the contracts in question, laying the blame squarely on civil servants who he alleged to have awarded contracts without ministerial approval, adding that, “Civil servants stay in their offices and award contracts worth 15 million, 10 million, 20 million without the minister knowing.
“And then you hear, ministers, sitting in the office, and people will tell you that you are owing 15 billion Naira, when you don’t know when it was awarded, certainly it will not happen! Let heaven come down”.
He challenged the contractors to provide proof, questioning their legitimacy.
Wike went further that: “Let anybody who said I awarded a contract bring the documents.
“Let them show me the job that they are commissioning. If you look at their faces, you will know that those who awarded the contracts to themselves are bringing those people to come”.
He outlined his administration’s strategy of prioritising major capital projects, contrasting the alleged “small, small” contracts of the past.
Wike further revealed that he had shifted the budget allocation to 70 percent for capital expenditure and 30 percent for recurrent, a reversal of previous trends.
He said, “Every day, some people want to buy computers, every budget you will see all kinds of things. Some people will say, I want to travel to the U.S. about land administration. You want to learn land administration; do you go to the U.S.? I mean, there’s no nexus”.
The minister pointed to the increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the FCT, from N9 billion to over N30 billion monthly, as the engine funding current projects, vowing to continue his development drive until 2027.
Speaking on the water project, Wike revealed that the Phase 2 rehabilitation was awarded in 2022 for approximately N50 billion and completed under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
“This Phase Two is very important because it increases the carrying capacity, and of course, will improve water supply to the residents of Abuja,” he said.
He also announced that the Federal Executive Council had already approved the rehabilitation of Phases 1, 3, and 4.
Furthermore, he confirmed the flag-off of a N90 billion project to provide water to satellite towns, starting with Bwari on Wednesday and Karu on Thursday.
“All this is geared to make life easier for the people of the FCT. We are not concentrating on the development of the city; we are taking development to the satellite towns,” he said.
The project, Wike noted, will significantly expand the dam’s carrying capacity and boost water supply to Abuja residents.
“Some people have accused us of concentrating only on roads, but beyond roads, we are also focusing on basic infrastructure like water supply. Water is life, and this administration is committed to ensuring residents enjoy this essential service,” Wike stated.
He added that agreements signed with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) during President Tinubu’s visit to China in 2023 are also geared towards ensuring satellite towns benefit from a reliable water supply.
Wike also highlighted the administration’s achievements in education, noting that many schools have been completed, renovated, or are currently undergoing construction across the FCT.
He directed the Secretary of Education to make public the comprehensive list of completed and ongoing school projects and to take the media on inspection tours of rural schools to showcase the government’s commitment.
“This administration is not only developing the city Centre but is also taking infrastructure to the satellite towns. Our goal is to make life easier for all residents of the FCT,” Wike said.
Also speaking, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support toward infrastructural renewal and for prioritising critical projects that directly impact the lives of ordinary citizens.
She urged residents to rededicate themselves to the proper management and sustainability of the water treatment plant, ensuring that generations yet unborn will continue to benefit from this vital infrastructure.
