By Francesca Hangeior.

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, says President Bola Tinubu has directed the FCT Administration through the Federal Capital Development Authority to refurbish the former Ministry of Agriculture building for the newly created Ministry of Livestock.

The minister stated this following an inspection tour of the ministry’s building in the Central Business District of Abuja, and the ongoing construction of the Kugbo International Market along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway, on Wednesday.

Wike, while addressing journalists after the inspection, described the project as “an emergency work” and said the FCTA would invite companies to assess the building and give quotation for the project.

He added that an integrity test had been conducted on the building, which came back “okay”.

“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,” he said.

The minister also said he had directed the Department of Development Control to demolish buildings obstructing a road corridor leading to the Kugbo International Market from Mpape.

Noting that the market was constructed under a Public Private Partnership, Wike added that the administration will also liaise with the investor to make the completed first phase of the project affordable to traders, to dissuade roadside trading in the FCT.

“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. And we can put our stake to see that people get allocations there,” he stated.