President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Capital Development Authority to renovate the former Ministry of Agriculture building for use by the newly created Federal Ministry of Livestock.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike announced this after conducting an inspection tour of the ministry’s building in Abuja’s Central Business District and the ongoing construction of the Kugbo International Market along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway on Wednesday.
Persecondnews recalls that President Bola Tinubu gave the green light for the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development on July 9, 2024.
After the inspection, Wike addressed newsmen, describing the project as “an emergency work” and announcing that the FCTA would invite companies to assess the building and provide a quotation for the project.
He also mentioned that the building had undergone an integrity test, the results of which were “okay.”
He said: “Well, it is the former Ministry of Agriculture, and we have a directive from Mr. President to go and immediately refurbish the place and furnish it for the new Ministry of Livestock, and that is why we went there to see things for ourselves.
“We will get some companies to come and look at it and quote for it. It is an emergency work because the creation of the Ministry of Livestock is a welcome development, and you can see people are happy, waiting for it to start.
“We are bringing some companies to look at it, and then we will take the best, or what do we call it, the most responsive builder that we know that the government will afford to handle.
“But don’t be in a rush; what is important is that we have gone there to see for ourselves, and the job will soon start.”
The minister instructed the Department of Development Control to demolish structures blocking the road corridor connecting Mpape to the Kugbo International Market, ensuring unobstructed access to the facility.
Persecondnews recalls that President Bola Tinubu gave the green light for the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development on July 9, 2024.
Additionally, he said his administration plans to collaborate with the market’s private investor to make the first phase affordable for traders, discouraging roadside trading in the FCT, as the market was built through a public-private partnership.
He said: “This is an investment that should be encouraged, as an international market of this standard.
There are a lot of problems; there is encroachment, and I have directed the development control to immediately demolish anything that will cause an impediment.
“This is a road corridor, and we will not allow that, and the Development Control Director is here; he has been ordered to move in with his men to demolish whatever is an obstacle.
“Somebody invested his money. But that is not why we should allow traders to be on the road; we must take into cognisance all of those things. An investor must also make profits. I mean, we are not running a socialist economy.
“People should know that when you invest your money, you don’t expect that the investor will just come, open it for you, and then you pack in for free. Nobody does that, and we should not encourage that.
“And that is not why I will allow people to sell on the road. Anyway, we will not also allow the investor to take advantage of that, and then people cannot afford it, no.
“We will look into that; we will do the costing, and we will ask the MD and Chief Executive of Abuja Investment Company to sit down with the investor to see what agreement we can reach.
We can put our stake to ensure that people receive allocations there.”
Leave a comment