Abuja Light rail ready for commercial activities — Wike

Commuters in the Federal Capital Territory will soon heave a sigh of relief as the FCT Administration completes the Abuja Metro rail line construction.

This comes seven days before the official inauguration of the project by President Bola Tinubu.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, who declared the Abuja light rail ready for commercial operations on Monday after carrying out a final inspection of the project, expressed satisfaction with the facilities on the ground.

He also expressed delight in meeting the mandate given to him by President Bola Tinubu upon assuming office, to ensure that the Abuja Light Rail is ready before his one year in office.

Wike noted that the rail line will be fully open to commuters yearning for alternative means of transportation from the Central Business District, through communities along the airport road to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

He said, “Thank God Almighty that we are good to go. We are ready, and you can see the facilities. Just that we identified one or two things that were omitted during the design, but we believe that during full operations, some of these things will be taken into consideration.

“Particularly, I believe that as a standard metro line where passengers will be waiting before they board the trains, there should be air conditioners, and I also thought that some of the stations should have elevators for those who are very old or those who may not have the strength to walk or climb the staircases.

“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 the FCT.

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“The lack of these facilities will not inhibit the operation; they are just what will make the passengers more comfortable.

“When operations start, these are things they could take care of. It will not stop the operation.

“Without the access roads to the train station, there would be no need for the metro line. How will the people from the various communities access the stations?

“But we thank God we have seen the access road; you can just take your car, park at the station, board the train, go to wherever you want to go, and still come and take your vehicles and go back to wherever you live.

“So, we are very happy, and we thank God that the promise Mr. President made has been kept.

“Mr. President said he is going to deliver, and he gave a marching order to us as ministers. We have no choice but to ensure that the promise made by Mr. President, his renewed hope agenda, and Nigerians have come to see that it’s a reality.

“Everything was made possible by God and the support, and then by Mr. President has given to us in the FCT. We are doing well because Mr. President has given us every necessary support.

“Assuming we are not getting the support from him, this would not have been a reality today.”