Jonathan, Bala take final tour of Abuja rail, road projects

With only few days to the end of this current Peoples Democratic Party-led administration, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday inspected the Multi-Billion-Naira Abuja rail project, expected to convey residents from Idu to Kubwa satellite towns, upon completion by December 2015.

Also, the President, in company of FCT administration team led by senator Bala Mohammed inspected Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (Airport Road Lot II) and Murtala Mohammed (Kubwa Road) Expressways projects, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Speaking during the tour, President Jonathan expressed satisfaction with the quality and level of completion of the ‘life transforming’ projects.

On the Abuja rail project, Jonathan said: ” I am quite pleased with the level and the pace of completion. Looking at the stock piles of typical materials gives me hope that the project would delivered on time according to specification.

“We have always insisted that without a functional rail system in any nation, you cannot talk about mass transit because mass transit cannot be built on taxis or small buses alone, and even the big buses are too expensive for an average resident of FCT, they are for short runs.

“But for real effective mass transit where commuters are meant to pay very low rate, then rail system is key, and that is why the government has plans for city rails like this and Inter-city rail system to come on board and link to each other.

“Our target at the national level is to make sure that every state capital is linked up by the railway system” he said.

The President expressed hope that the incoming administration will continue to support some of the developmental projects initiated by the outgoing administration with the aim of completing them, “because government is all about continuity”.

“Although, we are leaving on May 29, but I believe that by the time lots 1 and 2 which are completed, the other ones may come on stream. It may not be in three or five years time, but I am sure that it would definitely come on stream” he said.

While inspecting the Kubwa and Airport expressways , Jonathan was informed that the both expressways are 98 percent completed as the roads which are already on use have contributed to beautification of the road, especially at night when visitors from other countries are arriving into the country.

On his part, Mohammed explained that it had also contributed to reducing travel time from the airport to the city centre.

The Minister, however pleaded with the President, to assist the administration, in facilitating the outstanding payment of N5 billion to the contractors handling the Airport road; as well as about N5 to N10 billion being the outstanding payment for the contractors handling the Kubwa Road.

Peoples Daily reports that the president rounded off the tour at Kubwa, with the inspection of the Murtala Mohammed (Kubwa Road) Expressway, with 12 flyovers and six bridges.

Recall that the contract for the expansion of the expressways was awarded in 2008 by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, as part of efforts at tackling the problems of perennial traffic congestion usually encountered by people coming into the nation’s capital city.

The contract, which involved expansion of the roads to 10 lanes as well as the rehabilitation of the existing expressways, was awarded at a whopping cost of N257 billion. The two lots of the Airport Expressway project were managed by Julius Berger, while Messrs Dantata and Sawoe and CGC Nigeria Limited, executed Lot I and Lot II of the Outer Northern Expressway (Kubwa Expressway) projects, respectively.