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| Vice President Kashima (3rd from right) FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike (3rd left) Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud (2nd right), Minister of Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri (right), MD Arab contractors, Engr. Mohammed Eladoros, (2nd left) and Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Mao Ohuabunwa (left) cutting the tape to commission the newly reconstructed six-lane dual carriageway from the Airport Expressway to Kuje township in the FCT...Thursday. |
FCTA PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT TINUBU COMMISSIONS 9KM AIRPORT EXPRESSWAY - KUJE DUAL
CARRIAGEWAY
…SAYS IT WILL HELP TO DECONGEST THE ABUJA CITY CENTRE
…AS
FCT MINISTER ANNOUNCES SWEARING-IN OF NEW COUNCIL CHAIRMEN ON MONDAY
President
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has officially commissioned the newly dualized 9km
section of FCT Highway 105 (Kuje Road), stressing that the six-lane dual
carriageway will provide dignified connectivity between the city centre and
suburbs and decongest the Abuja metropolis.
Speaking
on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the commissioning ceremony of the vital artery
with two river bridges stretching from the Airport Expressway to Kuje town
Junction, President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim
Shettima, described the project as a physical manifestation of a promise kept
on the third anniversary of his administration.
He noted that the project, which was initially awarded in 2022 but abandoned, had long served as a bottleneck that wasted productive hours for civil servants, traders, and commuters, adding that its construction will return valuable time to residents, lift property values, attract commercial investments, and enable local farmers to move their produce efficiently without delay.
He
said, “This six-lane dual carriageway we are commissioning today completely
changes the game. You no longer have to endure the suffocating bottleneck on
the Kuje-Airport Road. This is your bypass to freedom and fluid movement. We
are giving you back your time. The hours our mothers, our traders, and our
civil servants used to waste in traffic traps entering or leaving Kuje are
gone. Time is money, and we are putting that time back into your pockets”.
Reaffirming
his commitment to balanced development across the territory, President Tinubu
expressed confidence that connecting the suburbs through premium infrastructure
would successfully decongest the Abuja metropolis while bringing the real
benefits of governance straight to the grassroots level
He
said, “Above all, we are opening up the satellite towns. Abuja cannot breathe
if only the city center is developed. By creating a high-speed, dignified
connection between the suburbs and the heart of the capital, we are
decongesting our metropolis and spreading prosperity evenly”.
He
praised the FCT Minister, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike for his aggressive political
will in ensuring the execution of the project, and further commended him for
paying the necessary compensation to affected citizens along the road corridor
to clear obstructions and ensure the timely delivery of the road project.
President
Tinubu, while also reminding residents that infrastructure development is a
partnership, reiterated his call for property owners and developers to pay
their taxes, ground rents, and land fees to enable the replication of the Kuje
success story in other satellite towns. He strongly urged traditional rulers
and the youth of Kuje to jealously guard the new infrastructure against
vandalism, unauthorized markets, and refuse dumping.
Earlier in his remarks, the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, recalled the difficult and highly politicized history of the highway, stressing that the 9km road project, which was awarded in February, 2022 at a cost of over ₦54 billion, had no contractor on-site and was completely abandoned when the current administration took office.
He
explained that during his initial security-assessment visits across the six
Area Councils, the traditional rulers, led by the Gomo of Kuje, explicitly
pleaded for the reactivation of the road, as well as the dualization of the
impassable garage junction to LEA Secretariat Road, which he described as a
death trap at the time.
Despite
funding challenges, the Minister noted that the FCT Administration successfully
completed the six-lane dual carriageway connecting Kuje directly to the city
centre, as well as the 4.5-kilometer stretch from Garage Junction to LEA
Secretariat Road, thereby reducing a former long commute to just minutes.
Barr.
Wike equally disclosed that work was progressing rapidly on the dualization of
the Kuje to Gwagwalada road, which he said had been a nightmare for Kuje
residents, adding that the President will also return shortly to commission the
first stage of the road project.
He
said that with the successful completion of these vital road projects, the
current administration of President Tinubu has restored the hope lost by
residents of the FCT and the people of Kuje in particular.
"If
you were coming from Gwagwalada to Kuje, you had to stop somewhere; the road
was not in existence. It was a death trap. It was a haven for kidnappers and
hooligans trying to molest and harass citizens. The people of Kuje had lost all
hope. But with the President coming into power, the lost hope has been given
back to them", the Minister stated.
Barr.
Wike, who also used the occasion to challenge critics of the current
administration to see the physical transformation of the territory as
undeniable proof of governance, added that timely payment of ground rent will
allow the FCT Administration to extend the highway further to connect with
Nasarawa State.
The
Minister also announced that the newly elected Chairmen of FCT Area Councils
would be sworn in next Monday. He commended all the Council Chairmen for their
support and the incoming Chairmen for their success in the February council
elections.
Also speaking, the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, appreciated Mr. President for his commitment to infrastructure development in the FCT,
She
affirmed that the commissioning of the project was a landmark achievement under
the Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that it reflects the administration's resolve
to improve connectivity, stimulate economic growth, and enhance the quality of
life of residents.
Dr
Mahmoud also commended the Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike,
for his exemplary leadership and dedication to transforming the nation's
capital by delivering quality infrastructure, while urging residents to
continue supporting initiatives that promote development, improve mobility, and
strengthen the socio-economic prosperity of the Federal Capital Territory.
In the
project overview, Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda said
that the FCT Highway 105 is a key regional route that traverses the FCT, from
the north (Abuja-Zuba Road) to the south, connecting the Abuja, Abaji, and
Nasarawa Road in the southern part of the FCT. Engr Dauda further said that the
current scope from the airport road to Kuje, which is the 1st stage of the full
development of the highway, included the construction of about 8.6 kilometers
of 2 main carriageways, each of 3 lanes in both directions, making it a 6-lane
dual carriageway.
Managing
Director, Arab Contractors, Engr Mohamed Eledarous, in an elated but brief
speech, said, "We were able to deliver and keep our promise, and are
hoping to continue to be part of the development in the FCT".
MORE PICTURES AND CAPTIONS
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| Vice President Kashim Shettima (middle), FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike (3rd right) Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud (3rd left), Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa (2nd right) MD, Arab Contractors, Mohamed Eladoros (right), the Gomo of Kuje, HRH Haruna Tanko Jibrin (2nd left) and the paramount ruler of Emohua Kingdom in Rivers State, HRM Sir Ohna Sergeant Awuse (left) in a group photograph during the commissioning ceremony of the newly reconstructed 6-lane dual carriageway from the Airport expressway to Kuje township in the FCT on Thursday. |
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| Area view of the newly reconstructed six-lane dual carriageway (Kuje road) from the Airport expressway to Kuje junction commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the FCT on Thursday. |
RABI MUSA UMAR
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PRESS
(OFFICE OF THE HON. MINISTER)
FCTA/ODP/PR/857
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