The Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lauded the pace and quality of infrastructural development under the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, declaring that future generations will remember the Minister not for how he responded to his critics, but for the visible legacies his leadership has delivered in the capital city.
Speaking on behalf of President Tinubu at the commissioning of the newly completed left-hand service carriageway of outer southern expressway (OSEX) stage ii from ring road (RRI) junction to wasa junction on Friday, thr President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio extolled the FCT Minister’s achievements, urging him to remain focused despite distractions from detractors.
According to him, “The President told you yesterday, do not mind those who are criticizing you. Remain focused on the country to deliver,” he said. “Nobody will remember you for the way you answered your critics. They will remember you for the legacies that you are leaving on ground. And we are seeing the legacy.”
He visibly impressed by the scope and aesthetics of the completed carriageway.
The president explained that, “Even the blind walking through this Wasa Road will know Nigeria is indeed working. If they were the ones (critics), they would have seen. But because it is you, they choose to remain blind.”
The Outer Southern Expressway is a strategic transport artery that links the city centre to fast-developing areas such as Wasa, Apo, Gudu, and parts of Lokogoma.
Project is a vital part
The newly commissioned 15-kilometre service carriageway, built by CCECC Nigeria Limited, stretches from Ring Road 1 to Wasa Junction. According to him, the project is a vital part of the Tinubu administration’s broader infrastructure drive.
He also said that, “This infrastructure fully demonstrates our commitment to sustainable urban development, enhanced mobility, and improved quality of life for residents of the FCT and, by extension, all Nigerians,” he said. He commended Wike and his team for reactivating long-abandoned projects and delivering them with “discipline, quality, and time-earned speed.”
The FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike drawing attention to the 17 consecutive days of project commissioning ongoing in the FCT, underscored the difference between political showmanship and actual governance.
“Let it be clear we’re not flagging off projects. We’re commissioning completed ones. There’s a big difference,” he said.
Newly renovated
He ridiculed those downplaying the significance of the newly renovated International Conference Centre (ICC), saying the criticisms are baseless.
“Someone said we didn’t name it after the person who built it. Did Nnamdi Azikiwe build the airport? Did Moshood Abiola build the stadium named after him? People just talk for talking’s sake,” Wike stated.
Earlier, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, expressed profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to infrastructure renewal and national development, describing the newly inaugurated left-hand service carriageway of the Outer Southern Expressway as a symbol of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Dr. Mahmoud noted that the project not only improves mobility but also opens up fresh economic opportunities for residents of the capital city and beyond.
She also commended the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, for his visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of timely infrastructure delivery across the territory.
Cooperation were instrumental
While acknowledging the efforts of the contractors, engineers, agencies, and local communities, Mahmoud said their professionalism and cooperation were instrumental in the project’s success.
She added that they should take pride in this accomplishment not just as a completed road, but as another step toward a stronger, more prosperous nation under the visionary leadership of President Tinubu.
Lateefah Ibrahim