President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has showered praise on Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, declaring that the minister has earned his trust by breaking Abuja’s long-standing culture of abandoned projects and delivering critical road infrastructure to the Renewed Hope City in record time.
Speaking yesterday at the inauguration of the 10.5-kilometre access road network connecting the 3,112-unit Renewed Hope City in Karsana West District to the Outer Northern Expressway, President Tinubu, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, made it clear that Wike’s performance stands in sharp contrast to the capital city’s troubled history with contract execution.
“For too long, Abuja’s story was ‘awarded and abandoned contracts.’ Today, we are ending that story with roads that open, not ones that stall,” Tinubu declared before an audience of government officials, engineers, and residents.
The President recalled that when he performed the groundbreaking for the housing project in 2024, he issued a direct and unambiguous directive: provide the roads and engineering infrastructure before residents could move in.
“I gave that assignment to a minister who treats deadlines as duties,” Tinubu said. “I told the honourable Minister of the FCT that civil servants, families and investors cannot live in houses they cannot reach. ‘Open Karsana, and open it now.’ He took that brief, set the pace, and delivered.”
The newly completed road network comprises Arterial Roads N11, N16, N40, and Special Important Local Street 03, which now link the once-inaccessible district to the city’s major thoroughfares. The President noted that the infrastructure makes all affordable housing units accessible, liveable, and secure.
From Fear to Fruition
Minister Wike, in his remarks, revealed that developers had initially expressed serious fears that their investments in the Karsana housing project would become worthless without access roads. The area was virtually cut off from the rest of Abuja when President Tinubu performed the groundbreaking ceremony.
However, Wike explained that the federal government fast-tracked the project, ensuring prompt payment to contractors, who in turn fulfilled their obligations within schedule.
“You took stalled corridors and made them active corridors,” Tinubu said directly to Wike during the ceremony. “You brought the same urgency to Karsana that you brought to other districts and the area councils. You measure contractors by output, not promises. Minister, you have earned my trust and you have my commendation.”
A Broader Agenda
The President also acknowledged the contributions of FCT Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud, along with engineers and officials of the FCT Administration, for ensuring the project was completed on schedule and according to specification.
In her remarks, Mahmoud described the road inauguration as another milestone in the implementation of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the roads would boost economic activities, improve connectivity, and expand access to affordable housing across the territory.
She urged residents and stakeholders to take collective ownership of public infrastructure by protecting and preserving it for the benefit of present and future generations.
For the thousands of civil servants and families expected to occupy the Renewed Hope City, the roads represent more than just concrete and asphalt—they symbolise a promise kept, a legacy overturned, and a capital city finally shedding its reputation for projects that begin with fanfare but end in frustration.
As Tinubu put it: “Housing without access is a blueprint without a building. When urgency meets quality, results follow. That is what you are standing on today.”
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