… Minister urges Tinubu to take over project awarded under Obasanjo
…says funding tower alone will force abandonment of other Abuja infrastructure
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, disclosed on Thursday that the cost of completing the abandoned Millennium Tower project in Abuja has soared to between N300 billion and N400 billion.
Wike said the development makes it financially unviable for the FCT Administration (FCTA) to proceed within its current budgetary limits.
Speaking during an inspection tour of ongoing road and infrastructure projects across the nation’s capital, the minister revealed that he has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to step in, reconsider the complex as a strategic national project, and assume its funding.
According to the minister, tying down such an enormous capital outlay to a single project would effectively cripple the territory’s finances and force the administration to abandon several other critical infrastructure projects needed across Abuja.
Responding to inquiries about the long-delayed landmark, Wike emphasised the need for a realistic approach to the city’s development priorities.
He said, “Well, you know that’s a national project. And I believe that it’s one project that government should reconsider. It should be a tourist centre project. The capital involved is too huge for the FCT to handle as a single project”.
Tracing the genesis of the signature edifice, Wike noted that the contract was originally awarded decades ago under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
However, the minister said years of neglect, economic shifts, and delayed execution have pushed the financial requirements to an unprecedented high.
Wike further explained, “We have discussed with the contractor. Remember that the project was awarded under Obasanjo’s regime.
“As I speak to you, it’s not less than 300 to 400 billion Naira that the contractor is talking about. And if you look at it, how do we carry out such a project? It means that every other project in Abuja we will have to abandon. But we are still talking to the President that he should reconsider it as a national project. So, that’s where we are”.
Despite the setback posed by the massive cost of the Millennium Tower, Wike expressed strong satisfaction with the pace and quality of ongoing infrastructure development across the territory, particularly praising major construction firms handling critical corridors.
Drawing attention to the dualisation of the Airport Road to Kuje, Wike recalled the state of the project when the current administration assumed office, commending Messrs Arab Contractors for their commitment to quality execution.
Wike recalled, “Remember, when we came on board in August 2023, when we went to visit or have a stakeholders’ meeting in Kuje, that was when we found out that the airport road to Kuje was awarded, but the contractor was not on site.”
“And we came to know that it was Arab Contractors. And I agreed that they would complete that project as part of the first-year anniversary of this administration. You can agree with me that it’s one of the best-quality roads you can talk about in Abuja.”
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Addressing concerns over funding obligations to contractors, the minister assured that the FCTA would continue to honour its financial commitments, noting that mutual trust has kept contractors on site even when payments are delayed.
“Look at the quality of work. And the contractor, the MD who is here, has said to us that they will do their own part when we also do our own part. By the grace of God, he said we’ll hand over this project to Mr President in December. It is everybody playing their own role, and they have never disappointed us. So, I believe in Arab Contractors.”
He added, “That trust is there between us and these companies, and I have confidence in them. I can tell you I’m highly elated with the level of work, the level of construction, and the quality that we have seen. Every right-thinking person in this country, in this city, will agree that indeed the Tinubu administration has transformed Abuja into a world-class city.”
Reassuring residents of the minister’s resolve to eliminate the culture of abandoned projects in the FCT, Wike insisted that all ongoing works inspected by his team would be completed systematically.
Wike posed, in response to doubts about project timelines, “Is there any project we have started and we have abandoned? Look at even the projects that were awarded since 2010. We have started to see that all are completed, and the ones that this administration awarded will also be completed.
“I don’t want to be pessimistic; I’m very optimistic that all the roads that we have gone for inspection, after the commissioning and flag-off, will also be done as far as we are concerned, latest by the end of this year.”
