THANK YOU VISIT: FCT MINISTER PROMISES MORE PROJECTS, C of O FOR INDIGENOUS LANDS

FCT Minister Barr Nyesom Wike delivering his thank you message to residents of Kuje during his visit to the Area Council on Thursday

FCTA PRESS RELEASE 

THANK YOU VISIT: FCT MINISTER PROMISES MORE PROJECTS, C of O FOR INDIGENOUS LANDS

…WARNS CHAIRMAN-ELECT AGAINST ABANDONING THE PEOPLE

The Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, continued his high-profile thank-you tour of the FCT Area Councils on Thursday, March 5, 2026, with a visit to the Kuje Area Council.

Addressing a gathering of stakeholders at the Kuje Town Hall, the Minister explained that the visit was mandated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to express appreciation to the traditional rulers and residents, for their unwavering support for candidates who aligned with the administration’s vision in the recent council elections.

He said the President directed him not to take the people’s support for granted but to return to the councils to acknowledge their pivotal role in the positive outcome of the election.

The Minister said, “Mr. President has directed me not to take your support for granted, to make sure I go back to all Area Councils in the FCT to tell the traditional rulers and the leaders of those areas that he appreciates you. He asked you to vote for candidates who will support him or who are supporting him and you did not hesitate; you voted for them”.

Barr Wike who pledged more projects in Kuje following a request by the chairman-elect of the council, Hon. Danjuma Samuel Shekwolo, for three key road projects, said after the swearing in of the chairmen in June, he will call for a stakeholders’ meeting to prioritize the projects for execution.

“I am very interested in Kuje, and because Kuje people have done it for us, we will do it for you”, he said.

He likened politics to a social contract between the people and the government and further reiterated the administration's commitment to fulfilling its pact with the people by providing tangible infrastructure.

The Minister recalled his 2023 meeting with Kuje’s royal fathers where specific requests were made regarding the abandoned Airport Road to Kuje town and the dualization of the Garage Junction to LEA Secretariat road, and proudly announced that the dualization project has already been completed and commissioned, while the Arab Contractors handling the Airport Road project have been mobilized back to site. He assured the residents that “this major landscape-altering road” would be part of the projects to be inaugurated by the President during his third-year anniversary celebrations.

He further updated the residents on the ongoing 17-kilometer Kuje-Gwagwalada road project being handled by Gilmor Engineering. He noted that work was progressing rapidly and expressed optimism that the President would commission the project in June this year. He assured that the current administration was determined to change the narrative of politics in the territory, by ensuring that the lives of residents are significantly improved through finished, high-quality projects rather than empty campaign promises.

Reiterating a landmark policy shift announced during his thank you visit to AMAC, Barr. Wike also pledged to reform land ownership for FCT indigenes. He vowed to begin signing Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) for ancestral lands, noting that as someone from a similar background, he understands the pain of land displacement and is committed to "repairing" the system.

“I made a promise yesterday and I want to repeat that promise I made to the indigenes of this area. I said yesterday that I’m going to change the pattern of land ownership. This time around, I’m going to be signing C of Os for you to also own properties here because I know where I come from. To come from a city, there are advantages and disadvantages. So, I have suffered it, I know how to repair it for you”, Barr. Wike stated.

He urged the people to remain unified and avoid being deceived by those he described as emergency democrats who ignored Kuje during their previous tenures as Governors or Ministers but have now surfaced to seek the presidency.

While congratulating the Kuje Chairman-elect for overcoming the odds to emerge victorious at the polls, the Minister advised him against becoming a “runaway Chairman” once sworn into office. He urged the incoming leader to prioritize the welfare of the people and remain as accessible as he was during the campaign period.

“I do believe that you will not abandon your people. I know that people demand a lot but try to do your best. Don’t run away from listening to your people because when you were campaigning, you were always at home. Now that the result has come, don’t be a runaway Chairman”, the Minister said.

Speaking on the FCT representation at the Senate, Barr. Wike also cautioned the electorate to be more discerning in future legislative elections. He encouraged them to vote for individuals who truly understand the local community’s problems rather than those who focus on media appearances and "love magazines," promising to unveil a suitable candidate at the appropriate time.

In his welcome address, the incumbent Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Hon Abdullahi Suleiman Sabo, stated that Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike was the first Minister to appreciate the people of Kuje for their conduct during an election. He described the Honourable Minister as a 'bridge-builder, a repairer and a Field Marshal in Nigerian politics. He said that elections had come and gone, and that despite political differences Kuje people would not allow politics to tear them apart.

Also speaking, the Gomo of Kuje, Alhaji Haruna jibrin Tanko, expressed delight that all the developmental projects requested from the Honourable Minister were "already receiving express attention". He appreciated the good intentions of the Minister for the people of Kuje Area Council. He however hoped that more roads such as the Kuje-Abaji roads could also be constructed.

The royal father also lamented that in spite of Kuje's proximity to the Abuja Municipal Area Council, it still lacked pipe-borne water, leaving residents to depend on wells and bore-holes as their source of water.

In his address, the Chairman-elect, Danjuma Shekwolo, thanked the FCT Minister and Kuje residents for believing in him and promised to work with the Minister through President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

Hon Shekwolo lauded the visible infrastructural development in the Council, which, he said, had eased the movement of people and urged the Minister to consider three more road projects, which if constructed, would help to grow the economy of the area.

He identified the roads as Gaube to Kuje, Kuje to Rubochi, and Kuje to Kabi.

MORE PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS

(R-L) FCT Minister Barr Nyesom Wike, incumbent Chairman, Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, reelected Abaji Council chairman, Abubakar Abdullahi Umar, a former Senator representing the FCT, Senator Jibrin Wowo and the chairman-elect, Bwari Area Council, Joshua Ishaku during the Minister's thank you visit to Kuje Area Council on Thursday

(R-L) FCT Minister, Barr Nyesom Wike, his son Joaquin Wike, incumbent Chairman, Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Suleiman Sabo, Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Professor Sandy Onor and Senator Philip Aduda during the Minister's thank you visit to Kuje Area Council on Thursday

Jubilant Kuje residents welcomed the FCT Minister who was in the Council for a thank you visit on Thursday

RABI MUSA UMAR

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PRESS

(OFFICE OF THE HONOURABLE MINISTER)

05/03/2026

FCTA/ODP/PR/804