Abuja Light Rail ready by 2014, says Minister

In its efforts to provide alternative modules of transportation as the new Abuja transport policy kicked off, FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, has re-assured that the Abuja Light Rail would be ready by 2014.
The Minister gave this re-assurance while receiving participants of the National School of Public Policy, Lahore, Pakistan who were in Abuja for a study tour.

Senator Mohammed who was represented at the occasion by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Obinna Chukwu, restated that the deliverance of the Abuja Light Rail project would change the face of FCT Transportation system.

His words: “The Abuja Light Rail project is on track and should be ready by year 2014 in fulfillment of the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan”.

The Minister said that Nigeria and Pakistan have similar history being colonies of Britain as well as members of the Commonwealth of Nations; adding that they should therefore, share their peculiar experiences for mutual benefits.

Senator Mohammed called on the delegation to assist in wooing Pakistani investors to come and invest in Abuja; stressing that investment opportunities abound in the Federal Capital Territory with high returns.

On Land Swap, the Minister expressed confidence that the FCT Administration would realize over N500 billion from the Dallas Carraway District project in the next couple of years, while the Abuja Industrial Park is anticipated to attract a Direct Foreign Investment of over $1.8 billion within the next four years.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and Chief Instructor of the National Management Wing of the National School of Public Policy, Seemi Waheed revealed that it is a class of 69 Participants shared across the globe for study tour with ten of them coming to Abuja.

She disclosed that the school is the highest public service institution in Pakistan having 21B-training programmer.