Abuja light rail to resume before Buhari’s exit – Minister

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has assured residents of the city that the Abuja Light Rail would resume service before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in May, 2023.

The minister gave the assurance when he featured on the 20th edition of the President Buhari’s administration Scorecard Series, organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, in Abuja Nigeria’s capital.

“Another important milestone achievement of President Buhari’s administration is the infrastructure development of the Abuja Light Rail. When we can in 2015, about 52 per cent of the projects were done and we pushed it to 100 per cent.

“And many of you will want to wonder why the Abuja Light Rail is not working, it is not working now because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

” We had to stop the operation because as you know the light train system basically is a mass movement, so if you don’t have much sitting capacity many people will stand up and when you stand up you face each other.

“So, it was obviously very difficult to maintain social distance but we are done with that all the carriages are here and by the grace of God before we leave it will resume.”

The minister disclosed that about 12 stations have been completed and about five of them are under construction.

“These are works we do in the satellite town because the structure of the FCT is that we have development in the urban area that is the Federal Capital City as well as development in the satellite towns.

” But the standards we maintain for infrastructure for the Federal Capital City itself is the same that we maintain in the satellite towns no difference whatsoever,” he added.