Wike seeks Tinubu’s approval to make ₦400bn Millennium Tower a national project

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has asked President Bola Tinubu to designate the long-delayed Abuja Millennium Tower as a national project, saying the estimated cost of completing the landmark exceeds the financial capacity of the FCT Administration.

Wike made the disclosure on Thursday after inspecting ongoing road and infrastructure projects across Abuja.

According to a statement by the Deputy Director of Press in the Minister’s Office, Rabi Musa, the FCT minister said the project would require more than ₦400 billion to complete, making it impractical to fund from the FCT’s statutory allocation without disrupting other critical infrastructure projects.

“That is a national project. The capital involved is too huge for the FCT’s statutory budget,” Wike said.

“As I speak to you, the contractor is talking about not less than ₦400 billion. If we attempt to carry out such a project alone, every other project in Abuja will be abandoned.

“But we are discussing with the President to consider it as a national project.”

The Millennium Tower, conceived as a national monument and tourist attraction, has remained incomplete for years despite successive administrations’ efforts to revive the project.

During the inspection, Wike also assessed progress on several road projects, including the extension of Collector Road CO1 in the Institution and Research District, linking Nile University to Ring Road III, with an additional spur from Baze University Junction.