"We believe we need to speed up the process to ensure completion, ideally, by 2026. This is crucial for us as an administration."
The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called for the resumption and speeding up the review of the Abuja master plan.
Mr Wike called during a meeting with a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), led by its Chief Representative in Nigeria, Yuzurio Susumu, in Abuja on Tuesday.
JICA got the project to review the Abuja master plan in 2019.
"I have observed the work you have been doing in the FCT, especially since we approved the review of the Abuja urban master plan in 2019.
"We need to speed up the process to ensure completion, ideally, by 2026. This is crucial for us as an administration.
"I have seen the activities which you carry out in the FCT, particularly when we approved, in 2019, the review of the Abuja urban master plan.
"We believe that we have to expedite action to concretise by ensuring this is completed, at least by 2026. We should have completed this if you put in more efforts to see that we achieve this which is of utmost importance to us as an administration," he said.
Mr Wike highlighted the significance of the Abuja master plan review, saying it is vital for the ongoing development of the FCT.
He praised JICA for its commitment to urban development projects and expressed the FCT Administration's readiness to fully cooperate in achieving the objectives outlined in the master plan.
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"We are happy that JICA is not one of those international organisations that come to make promises without fulfilling them.
"I do not doubt your capacity and that you will continue to do more for us. So, this administration is willing to cooperate with you to achieve more for our people," the minister said.
Commendations
Mr Wike acknowledged the strong relationship between Nigeria and JICA, which he said has been mutually beneficial and commended the organisation for sustaining its activities across the country.
He praised the agency's efforts in promoting agricultural practices to enhance food security and nutrition in the FCT.
He emphasised the importance of sustaining these initiatives and exploring new opportunities for agricultural development.
"We appreciate JICA's support in agricultural development, particularly in promoting nutrition and food security.
"We look forward to further collaboration to maximise the potential of agriculture in the FCT," he stated.
In response, Mr Susumu acknowledged the challenges facilitating the Abuja master plan review, including setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic and bureaucratic obstacles.
He, however, assured the minister of JICA's ongoing efforts to advance the project and its successful implementation.
"We were happy to get the project for review as planned several years ago, and Japan's government approved it for implementation. Since then, we've been trying to start the project, but unfortunately, there have been unfortunate issues like the COVID outbreak and bureaucracy, and we couldn't start until now," Mr Susumu said.
