• Laments past accidents on newly-fixed Kuje-Gwagwalada road

Deji Elumoye and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday explained that through the provision of critical infrastructure projects executed by his administration in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and beyond, his government is laying a foundation for Nigeria’s prosperity.

He therefore vowed that no community will be left behind under his watch, even as he said his administration is “building the nation of our dreams.”

Speaking on in Abuja when he inaugurated Phase 1 of the Kuje-Gwagwalada Dual Carriage Way, the President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, took full responsibility for the hardship occasioned by the ongoing reforms, assuring the citizens that they are designed to bring lasting prosperity.

“To all Nigerians: I know the reforms have been tough. The hard choices today are for a stronger tomorrow. From the city centre to the farthest satellite town, we are laying the foundation for prosperity.

“Do not give up on Nigeria. Stay with us. Support the Renewed Hope Agenda. The results you are seeing here in Kuje-Gwagwalada are happening across the country,” he stated. According to him, the infrastructural development along the Kuje-Gwagwalada road is taking place across the nation.

He outlined the significance of the Kuje-Gwagwalada Dual Carriage Way, noting that the construction of the road, which had been a death trap for decades, is both economic and geographical.

He said: “For decades, this road was a death trap. Traders from Kuje, Gwagwalada, Kwali, and beyond lost time, goods, and sometimes lives while plying this route. Criminals thrived in the darkness. Students of our institutions here wasted hours in traffic. Farmers could not get their produce to market on time. That story ends today.

“This 7 kilometre dual carriageway with solar-powered street lights, pedestrian walkways, and proper drainage is more than a road. It is security. It is commerce. It is dignity. It is the economic corridor linking Abuja to three Area Councils and opening an exit route to southern Nigeria.”

The construction of the road, the President pointed out, has “unlocked the agricultural potential of the area, opened new residential layouts, and made it safer for mothers, students, and workers to move at any hour.”

He appealed to Nigerians to never give up on Nigeria, saying they must support his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda in order to pull the country out of socio-economic challenges it was hitherto enmeshed in.

This, he declared, is Renewed Hope delivered to the doorsteps of the people in the satellite towns, just as he commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for taking Renewed Hope to the grassroots.

“I gave you one instruction when I appointed you: “Make Abuja work for all Nigerians, not just for those in Maitama and Asokoro”. You have taken Renewed Hope to the grassroots. From judicial quarters in Katampe to roads in Kuje and Gwagwalada, you are proving that development must not be selective. You heard the cries of satellite communities, and you responded. That is leadership. Well done,” he told the Minister.

He charged the direct beneficiaries of the infrastructure to protect the road from those who would attempt to build on the median or vandalise the solar lights, even as he urged the citizens to pay their taxes and ground rents, observing that “when government works and citizens cooperate, development moves faster.”

Earlier, the FCT Minister, Wike, said the FCT Administration under his watch had adopted a community engagement model in the selection and execution of projects across the territory, noting that the completion and inauguration of the road and other projects across the FCT are a manifestation of the model’s efficacy.

He acknowledged and commended the commitment of traditional rulers and stakeholders across the FCT who, according to him, are critical in the effective administration of the territory.

The Minister thanked Tinubu for what he termed his relentless support and commitment in the transformation of critical infrastructure across the territory through the FCT administration.

Also speaking, Minister of State for FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, said the benefiting communities, people of Kuje, Gwagwalada and the entire FCT, remain grateful to Tinubu for his commitment to uplifting the state of infrastructure in the FCT, particularly in the satellite towns and communities.

In an overview of the project, the Coordinator of Satellite Town Development Department, Hon. Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, said the completion of the project marked a significant advancement in the present administration’s commitment to improving the state of infrastructure in the satellite towns and a fulfillment of the FCT minister’s efforts to uplift the wellbeing of people living in the satellite towns.

He said the inauguration of the project is a manifestation of a promise made and kept by the FCT administration under the leadership of the Minister, noting that the inauguration of the road project for use will improve economic as well as social activities in Kuje, Gwagwalada and environs, which aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.