Don’t Complete ‘White Elephant’ Abuja Millennium Tower Project, CSO Tells Wike

A civil society organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has advised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike against completing the Abuja Millennium Tower Project.

The Millennium Tower which is still under construction 17 years after it was started by the administration of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006, is being handled by Salini Construction Nigeria Limited.

The sum of N53 billion was budgeted for the construction of the multifunctional edifice which has facilities for cultural exposition, tourism, socialisation, recreation, hospitality, and commercial activities.

According to a publicly published profile of the Millennium Tower, the project has reached 40 per cent completion and is expected to, upon completion, self-finance itself from revenue generated from all the commercial activities in the complex.

“The project, which dominates the National Square, has space for 1,100 cars and houses the National Museum at various levels, the National Theatre as well as a five-star model hotel with 55 luxury rooms and nine suites for about 130 persons. Its expansive arcade which consists of a 40,000 square metres platform was designed to host national and other events,” the profile of the tower said.

It also said the tower boasts offices, passive and active recreational facilities, a 1,200-capacity auditorium, and conference rooms. Others are exhibition halls, shops, a sports centre with an indoor pool, gyms, fitness, squash courts, and a two-level 1,200 capacity basement car park.

The key feature, according to the profile seen by THE WHISTLER, showed a structure designed like a flower surrounded by transparent wings is a revolving panoramic restaurant for more than 130 diners.

Recall Wike had, after a meeting with contractors on Monday, said the Ministry of the FCT will complete the project in the next two years.

“It is a very ambitious project, but again if we are talking of Abuja being one of the best cities in the world, then we must have such a facility,” he said, noting that it would be one of the legacy projects for President Bola Tinubu.

But, in a statement on Thursday, HURIWA described the Millennium Tower as a cesspool of corruption, cash guzzler, and “white elephant” project and urged Wike not to go ahead with plans to complete it.

In the statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA alleged that right from conception, the Millennium Tower and “its shady implementation represents a money guzzling machine and a cesspool of corruption for government officials and their contractor friends to line their pockets with filthy lucre”.

The civil society organisation said the money that is to be used in completing the project should be put to “better use” on projects that would benefit the masses.

“The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has asked the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to perish the thought of completing the Abuja Millennium Tower project but instead, the humongous cash should be utilised to set up mass/low-cost housing schemes, introduce mechanisms to support SMEs operating in Abuja and upgrading of primary health care and primary schools domiciled in the rural communities of the FCT which are in very bad shapes.

“The Abuja landscape is dotted with natural edifices, sites, and sounds that if harnessed by the FCT Administration, would provide the best tourism potential than fritter scarce resources completing a project with zero economic value to the Nigerian masses,” the rights organisation said.

In conceiving the project, the Federal Government said it would attract tourists to the FCT and thereby generate foreign revenue.

But HURIWA disagreed, noting that no serious tourist from the Western countries would spend their hard-earned cash to come to see the Abuja Millennium Tower.

“Foreign tourists from rich societies often prefer visiting natural habitats which abound in many areas of the FCT, which the politicians running government should harness and commercialise for profitability,” the group added.

HURIWA also faulted the claim that the Millennium Tower, when completed, would serve as a centre of national unity.

Rather, according to the rights group, the project when completed with taxpayers money, may most likely be diverted to private hands through a contrived public-private ownership arrangement.

Instead of completing the project with public funds, HURIWA said the government should privatise it “as it is now”.