Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has disclosed that the FCT Administration could not complete the abandoned Millennium Tower project due to the multi-billion Naira demanded by the contractor.
Wike, who cleared the air after he inspected some ongoing projects in Abuja on Thursday, said the contractor handling the massive project demanded between N300 billion and N400 billion to complete the project.
The minister explained that the FCT Administration could not shoulder the staggering completion cost without abandoning every other project in the nation’s capital.
He described the project, awarded during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as a national monument with immense tourism potential.
According to him, its funding is too capital-intensive for the FCTA’s statutory budget.
“You know the Millennium Tower is a national project and I believe that it’s one project the government should reconsider because it should be a tourist centre project.
“However, the capital involved is too huge for the FCTA to have it in its statutory budget. Committing the FCTA’s limited resources to the tower would completely paralyse other critical infrastructure developments across the city.
“Remember that the project was awarded under the Obasanjo regime. As I speak to you, it’s not less than N300 billion to N400 billion that the contractor is talking about.
“If you look at it, how do we carry such a project? It means that every other project in Abuja will have to be abandoned.”
Wike said he had initiated talks with President Bola Tinubu to prevent the iconic structure from remaining an abandoned eyesore.
“We are still talking to the President that we should reconsider it as a national project. So, that’s where we are,” Wike said.
The Millennium Tower project, conceived as a central feature of the Abuja skyline, is designed to house a cultural centre, museum, and expansive tourist facilities.
However, decades after its conception, its future now hinges on a strategic intervention from the presidency.
No project will be abandoned in FCT under Tinubu’s administration – Wike
However, Wike assured residents of the territory that no project would be abandoned under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He gave the assurance after he inspected the ongoing construction of the dual carriageway from Nile University to Ring Road III in Abuja.
He also inspected the ongoing full scope development of Arterial Road N1 from Wuye District to Ring Road II, Abuja.
The minister, who declared zero-tolerance policy for abandoned infrastructure under the current dispensation, insisted that most of the ongoing projects would be delivered to residents by the end of December.
He said “the administration is bound by strict promise to eliminate the culture of abandoned public works.
“I have said before, no project will be abandoned under Tinubu’s administration and we are keeping that promise.
“This is part of a broader push by the Tinubu administration to clear the backlog of stalled infrastructure and deliver his promises to FCT residents.
“Look at the projects that were awarded since 2010, we have completed most of them and we are still working on the remaining ones.”
Wike also assured residents that the construction of N20 bridge over the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Expressway would be completed.
“Is there any project that we have started and abandoned? We have started to see that all are being completed, and the ones that this administration awarded will also be completed.
“Just be patient, every project will be completed,” the minister assured residents.
He commended the contractors for the quality delivery of projects in the FCT.