President Bola Tinubu, speaking in Abuja during the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual conference, emphasized that he would prefer that Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, focus on the development of the Abuja metroline rather than providing him with free land.
Tinubu referred to Wike as the “landlord of Abuja” and urged him to prioritize delivering the metroline for the benefit of a large number of Nigerians.
Although Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was appointed as a minister by Tinubu, he stressed the importance of completing the Abuja rail mass transit (ARMT) within eight months.
The rail project, funded through loans from China EXIM Bank, was initially commissioned in 2018 but faced challenges, including vandalism.
Wike expressed concern over the dysfunctional state of the rail system and pledged to address transportation issues in the FCT, highlighting the potential for reduced traffic congestion once the train system is operational