By John Eka
President Bola Tinubu did not make any mistake in his choice of the title, ‘Master of Infrastructure’ for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Wike, on Sunday 30th March 2025,
had led a delegation of prominent FCT residents on a traditional Sallah homage to President Tinubu- marking the end of the 2025 Ramadan fasting and the celebration of Eid-el-Fitr, quite unaware of how deeply excited his principal is about his continued display of capacity in initiating progressive ideas that have significantly improved the effective functioning of Abuja.
“He is a master of infrastructure. I must thank the Honourable Minister of FCT. It’s worth it. It is nothing other than a privilege to be the landlord of every one of us in Abuja,” Tinubu said while receiving the Muslim faithful at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The former Rivers State Governor, who resumed duties as Minister of the FCT on 21st August 2023 after the inauguration of President Tinubu’s cabinet, became the 17th Minister of the nation’s capital territory, alongside
Dr. Mariya Mahmud – serving as the 12th Minister of State.
“It is not going to be business as usual. The President has given us the marching order. We must bring FCT back to what it is supposed to be, and we are willing, and we have the capacity to do that,” Minister Wike said on day one in office, as he folded his sleeves, exuding the readiness to deliver in this new national assignment.
One of the world’s largest associations for security professionals, ASIS International, could not hold its conviction in describing Minister Wike as a man with a vivacious spirit sufficient enough to address many of the challenges facing Abuja, including insecurity.
Like ASIS, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mohammed Ndarani-SAN, in March 2024, declared that Minister Wike, in just a few months in office, performed far beyond his predecessors.
“His performance in just a few months as FCT minister is far beyond several years spent by his predecessors in that office and these are facts,” Ndarani said.
As the first southern Nigerian to hold the office of FCT Minister since the inception of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, Wike in the short span of one year, led a massive overhaul, not just of Abuja city road’s infrastructure, but also of land administration processes, as well as the development of the real estate sector.
Minister Wike again, is set to showcase milestone achievements of the President Tinubu’s government, this time, in two years of the administration.
As the President marks his second anniversary in office, in his first tenure on 29th May 2025, as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, several completed projects across different sectors of the Abuja economy have been lined up for his commissioning and inauguration.
According to Minister Wike, the projects to be inaugurated cut across the Abuja city center, the satellite towns, and the rural areas, reflecting the administration’s commitment to inclusive development.
Key projects slated for commissioning by the President, include the Arterial Road N16, connecting Maitama and Katampe districts, the 16-kilometer OSEX II to Wasa service carriageway, linking Apo and Wasa districts, the Arterial Road N5 from Lifecamp Junction to Ring Road III, the renovated International Conference Centre (ICC), and the Greater Abuja Water project.
Other projects slated are the Bus Terminals in Kugbo and Mabushi as well as Apo – Wassa road, the Inner Nothern Expressway from Ring Road 3 (Idu to Kubwa Road), the CN8 from N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) to Court of Appeal, N20 Flyover Onnex Kubwa Road and Life Junction to Ring Road III.
Also lined up for commissioning are the Kabulsa-Takushara Access Road, the Kabusa-Ketti Access Road, the access road in Giri District, the 15km Road from A2 Junction Abuja-Lokoja Road to Pai in Kwali Area Council, as well as the Ushafa, War College, and Army Checkpoint roads in Bwari Area Council.
A statement by the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Lere Olayinka said, these projects will be commissioned within 19 days.
In 2024, a similar commissioning of projects took two weeks, highlighting the magnitude of the development achieved so far by the administration under Minister Wike.
First anniversary:
While celebrating President Tinubu’s first anniversary, Minister Wike took the Nigerian leader on a tour and commissioning of critical projects. The President who was visibly excited as he drove around the city, could not hold back his joy, seeing the level of performance and the delivery of quality projects.
“I must recognize your vision that is revolutionary and very inspiring to many of our people. The changes you made to the FCT – structural and administrative – are yielding results and elevating the heart of many Nigerians,” President Tinubu noted.
Even critics of Minister Wike acknowledge that many of the transformative and interventionist completed projects are a testament to the“Renewed Hope Agenda,” delivering results on the ground.
The first-anniversary tour, witnessed Tinubu’s commissioning of the Southern Parkway, from the Christian Center to the Ring Road (renamed as the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way), the rehabilitated Abuja Metro Line, the constructed access roads to the train stations, and parking lots.
President Tinubu also flagged off the commercial operation of Abuja light rail, the engineering infrastructure to Wuye district, full scope development of the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) from the Villa roundabout to Ring Road 1, and full scope development of Arterial Road N20, from the Northern Parkway to the Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX) (renamed the Wole Soyinka Way).
The first anniversary,
also featured the delivery of roads B6, B12, the Circle Road in Central Area, the engineering infrastructure to Guzape district lot II, and the provision of engineering infrastructure to the New Layout and the Diplomatic area.
Other projects delivered in the first year, are the Guzape District II Cadastral Zone A11 District, the resurfacing of existing roads, and remedial works on bridges in the Asokoro, Garki, Maitama, and Utako districts.
The FCT Minister also within a one year pushed for extensive works on the extension of the Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX) from the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) to the Southern Parkway (S8/9), the construction of the 11-kilometer access road (FCT Highway 105) from the Airport Expressway to Kuje Township with spur at Kyami and the resurfacing of 189 roads covering 57 kilometers of roads within the Abuja city center.
After 14 years of abandoned works, the new Vice President’s official residence built at the cost of N21billion was completed and commissioned by President Tinubu. The official residence of the FCT Minister located in the Life Camp area also received a facelift with major renovation works.
Satellite towns
Wike’s giant interventions for Abuja were not limited to the city center alone. In just one year, the Minister with strong support from the presidency embarked on the construction of at least five kilometers of roads in each of the six Area Councils of the territory.
Records from his media department indicate that after due consultation with stakeholders on needs assessment, Minister Wike, with the support of the Minister of State, Dr. Mariyam Mahmoud,
constructed and rehabilitated the 9km Paikon Kore-Ibwa road in Gwagwalada Area Council, and supervised the construction of a temporary access road to Saburi 1 and 2 communities within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) from old Keffi road near the Dei-Dei International Market.
There is also the construction and rehabilitation of 7.2km Gaba-Tokulo road in Bwari Area Council, the construction of a 5km Asphalt Carriageway from Garage Junction to LEA Secretariat in Kuje Area Council, 11km Yangoji-Sukuku-Ebo road in Kwali Area Council as well as the construction of 5km Naharati-River Ukya-Unguwan Hausawa Road in Abaji Area Council.
Education sector
What Minister Wike has done in the Education sector is phenomenal and encouraging. A senior official told NewsQuest recently that some of the bold interventions for education transformation include the reconstruction of 19 secondary schools with 20 more to follow. The benefiting schools include LEA Primary School Bagusa, the Karshi Model School, JSS Life Camp, Government Secondary School Garki, and JSS Aleita both in (AMAC), Junior Secondary School Waru, LEA Primary School Atako, Kuje, and Abaji Model Primary School.
The JSS Maitama, Government Science Technical College, Garki, the Vocational Training Centre Karshi, Government Secondary School Karshi, School for the Gifted Gwagwalada, School for the Deaf, Kuje, Government Science Technical College, Maitama, Junior Secondary School, Pai Kwali, Government Science Technical College Kwal, FCT College of Education, Zuba, Government Secondary School Kuje, and Government Secondary School Wuse, are not left out.
Security:
It is not in doubt that Minister Wike inherited a city enmeshed in a snarl of criminality – from one-chance operators in Abuja to kidnappers moving freely to the abduction of people in their homes. One first action taken to tackle the troubling situation was engagement with critical stakeholders in the territory. The FCT administration under Wike provided about 100 motorcycles to security personnel for effective patrol in hard-to-reach rural areas and distributed 50 operational vehicles fitted with communication gadgets to strengthen the fight against insecurity in the territory.
More such support has continued in the second year, with relative peace, being experienced across the city.
With an ambitious N1.7trillion statutory budget being considered by the National Assembly for the FCT in the 2025 fiscal year, Minister Wike is likely to focus on boosting key sectors, including health, social welfare, agriculture, and employment going forward, all crucial for delivering an effective and service-oriented administration to residents.
