FCT Renews Security Contracts for Abuja Rail Infrastructure

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Executive Committee (exco) has approved the renewal of contract for the security of rail tracks and rail infrastructure to cover the 2024-2026 period.

The Secretary, FCT Transportation Secretariat, Chinedu Elechi, who briefed reporters after the last exco meeting for 2024, said the approval was to aid the smooth commercial operations of rail transportation in FCT.

He noted that there was serious vandalisation of the operations of 45 kilometres of rail line that began in 2018 during COVID 19.

He said: “As you may recall, by 2018, the operations of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit took off into the first stage of Lot 1A and Lot 3 of the trial stage by 2018.

“By 2019, COVID broke out, and there was a major lockdown. Post-COVID, there was serious vandalisation of the 45-kilometres rail line with very expensive telecommunication cable because it’s a light rail, so almost everything is electronic.

“So, it prompted the FCT Administration at the time, after having awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of the vandalisation, running to billions of Naira. So there was a need at the time to employ security companies, civil security companies to be the lead security companies, of course, with the regular security companies playing a supporting role.”

He noted that vandalisation on the rail line reduced considerably when the surveillance contract of Lot 1A, which is from Idu to Kubwa, and Lot 3, which is the rail line from Metro to the Airport was awarded to two security companies in 2022.

“Now the contract has just expired, and as you know we have started full commercial operations after the flag-off in May 2024. We all know what’s happening in the country. So, there was the need to also renew the contract for the security of the rail line because this is expensive equipment that we are talking about here. The minister intends for the Abuja Rail Mass Transit to run thoroughly in his tenure and even beyond.

“So, the contract is important for security because if one single cable is vandalised, it will distort the operations for a long time. That is why it became imperative for the contract to be renewed between 2024 to 2026. It’s a two-year cycle. And so that is what we arrived at and exco approved the contract,” Elechi said.