The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mr Nyesom Wike, has challenged political contenders to back their ambitions with visible achievements.
The Minister gave the challenge while commissioning the once-abandoned 16-kilometre Idu-Zuba Expressway a project now completed at a revised cost of N31 billion.
Throwing down the gauntlet to political opponents ahead of the forthcoming Area Council elections, Wike said that only those who have delivered tangible development projects deserve the support of the people.
He noted that, “We will show roads, bus terminals, and schools. The work we’ve done is our campaign. The project is the rigging when you give the people what they want, the result is clear,”.
Wike hinted that the road which was initially awarded in 2014 at N7 billion but suffered years of delay due to poor funding and administrative bottlenecks has now been completed under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, in less than a year.
He lauded the President for backing impactful infrastructure, noting that the expressway is a critical link to Abuja’s industrial hub and will unlock massive economic opportunities.
The Minister stated that, “This is the industrial site of Abuja. The Idu Industrial Park alone can generate not less than 40,000 direct jobs if fully supported. But for years, the companies there couldn’t proceed because they had no C-of-O. We fixed that in two weeks,”.
He criticised the initial delay in executing the project, saying it could have been completed with proper commitment.
“If the FCDA had released just N500 million monthly from IGR, this project would have been done in a year. Instead, it took 11 years. That’s unacceptable,” he explained.
He stated that the contractor handling the project has indicated readiness to complete the left-hand side of the expressway, subject to tax concession support from the government.
He also expressed concern over bureaucratic delays, including the contractor’s inability to secure approval to cross the railway line for years.
“These are the things we must address if we truly want to move forward. No investor will come to a place without basic infrastructure. It’s government’s responsibility to make that happen,” he added.
Wike commended President Tinubu for his unprecedented support to the FCT, highlighting that in just 10 days, the President and his representatives have commissioned 10 major projects in Abuja.
“Mr. President has personally commissioned five projects. The Senate President, Speaker, and Deputy Senate President have represented him at others. That shows leadership,” Wike said.
The Idu-Zuba Expressway is expected to ease congestion, improve access to industrial zones, and drive inclusive growth across the FCT and its satellite towns.
The commissioning adds to a growing list of infrastructure milestones under the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Confidence Okwuchi