FCT residents seek update on Gwagwa-Airport rail project

By Gabriel Ewepu ABUJA — Residents along the Gwagwa-Airport railway corridor in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the relevant authorities to provide an update on the progress of the rail project, expressing concern over delays in completing some components. A Gwagwa resident, Abubakar Rilwanu, said construction activities along the corridor appeared to have slowed considerably, particularly work on power supply infrastructure and other facilities required for the railway stations.

Rilwanu said the development had generated concerns among residents, noting that the Gwagwa-Airport axis hosts three of the 12 railway stations along the route from the Central Business District to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. He said residents were eager to see the project completed, given its potential to improve transportation and connectivity within the nation’s capital.

“It beats our imagination that a critical segment involving railway stations would take this long to complete,” he said. Rilwanu also urged the Federal Government and the FCT Administration to provide information on the project’s current status and the expected timeline for completion. He said completing the project would deliver economic benefits, including reducing expenditure on diesel-powered generators at the railway stations.

According to him, connecting the stations to the national electricity grid would reduce or eliminate reliance on diesel generators. He called on the relevant authorities to engage the construction company and other stakeholders to address outstanding issues and ensure that work progresses towards completion. Another resident, Ishaya Madaki, said he was concerned about the pace of work on the project, given its importance to transportation development in the FCT.

“For a government that is spending heavily on infrastructure development, I do not know why this major project is taking so long to progress. “However, it does not send a good signal about this administration, especially as this is the nation’s capital,” Madaki said. Efforts to obtain the construction company’s reaction were unsuccessful, as calls to its designated public enquiries line were neither answered nor returned as of the time of filing this report.