Left to Right: FCT Minister, Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike; Vice President H.E. Kashim Shettima; Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure; Gomo of Kuje, HRH. Alh (Dr) Haruna Tanko Jibrin at the commissioning of Kuje-Gwagwalada Road Phase 1.
FCTA PRESS RELEASE
WE HAVE DELIVERED RENEWED HOPE TO FCT SATELLITE TOWNS, SAYS PRESIDENT TINUBU
…AS HE COMMISSIONS 7KM KUJE-GWAGWALADA DUAL CARRIAGEWAY
...PHASE 2 TO BE COMPLETED BY DECEMBER, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has declared that the current
administration under his watch has delivered Renewed Hope
to the satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
emphatically ending the historical trend of limiting Abuja's development
to the city center.
President Tinubu stated this on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, during the
official commissioning of the newly completed 7km
Kuje-Gwagwalada dual carriageway, linking Kuje Area Council to
Gwagwalada.
Represented at the ceremony by Vice President Kashim Shettima, President
Tinubu described the completion of the critical infrastructure project as
a definitive promise kept, stressing that the transformation marks a
vital victory for the FCT’s rural communities.
He said the road project equipped with pedestrian walkways and
streetlights has transformed a route that had for decades been notorious
as a dangerous, unmotorable death trap into a modern beacon of safety and
economic opportunity for FCT residents.
According to President Tinubu, “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 wasted hours in traffic. Farmers could not get their produce
to market on time. That story ends today”.
“The 7km 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 an economic corridor linking Abuja to three Area
Councils and opening an exit route to the southern parts of Nigeria.
“With the construction of this road, we have unlocked the agricultural
potential of this area, opened new residential layouts and
made the area safe for my mothers, students and workers to move
at any hour. This is renewed hope delivered to our people in the satellite
towns”, President Tinubu stated.
He extended praise to the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, CON, recalling the explicit mandate given to him upon his appointment to make Abuja work for all Nigerians, rather than just the residents of affluent areas like Maitama and Asokoro.
President Tinubu further lauded Barr. Wike
for actively taking the Renewed Hope Agenda straight to the grassroots,
stretching from the judicial quarters in Katampe to the rural communities of
Kuje and Gwagwalada, proving that development under this administration will
never be selective.
Addressing the local residents directly, the President reassured them
that his government deeply sees and values them, promising that every area
council and community counts and will continue to receive critical roads,
water, schools, and hospitals.
While celebrating the developmental milestone, the President strongly
urged the direct beneficiaries of the infrastructure to take full ownership and
vigorously protect the road from abuse, warning them against building
structures on the median or vandalizing the solar streetlights.
Acknowledging the broader economic climate, President Tinubu thanked
Nigerians for their ongoing resilience through tough national reforms, stating
that the hard choices made today were laying the necessary foundation for a
stronger and more prosperous tomorrow. He encouraged citizens to remain
steadfast and support the Renewed Hope Agenda, promising that under his watch,
no community will be left behind as the government actively builds the nation
of its dreams.
In his remarks at the event, FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike
shed light on the origins of the Kuje-Gwagwalada road project, explaining
that upon taking office, he personally toured all six FCT Area Councils to
interact directly with local stakeholders and hear their needs.
He said during those interactive
visits, the traditional ruler of Kuje specifically
highlighted the direct link between the area's severe insecurity and its broken
roads, which made it nearly impossible for security agencies to pursue
criminals, and pleaded for the completion of the abandoned airport road to the
Kuje dual carriageway and later the Kuje-Gwagwalada road.
The Minister said the FCT Administration responded decisively to
that request, first completing the road from Garage Junction to the
LEA Secretariat, and the Airport road to Kuje highway, and
later presenting the Kuje-Gwagwalada road project to the Federal
Executive Council (FEC), where President Tinubu promptly approved the contract
award to Gilmor Nigeria Limited.
He expressed immense delight that the contractor
delivered a high quality road on time, and announced that
the second phase of the corridor is already on track to be fully completed by
December this year, allowing commuters to travel seamlessly between Gwagwalada
and Kuje without being forced onto the busy federal highway.
Earlier, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud,
delivered an address expressing profound gratitude to President Tinubu and the
Vice President for their unwavering commitment to systemic infrastructural
renewal across the FCT and the nation.
Dr Mahmoud described the road project as a clear testament to the
renewed hope agenda in action, stressing that the initiative ad connected communities,
boosted economic growth and also given wider
opportunity to the people of Kuje, Gwagwalada and the entire
FCT.
The Coordinator, Satellite Towns
Development Department (STDD), Hon Abdulkadir
Zulkiflu, while presenting the project overview, said it was in line with the vision of
the current administration to move development
into the satellite towns and aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Hon. Zulkiflu clarified that what was being commissioned was the Phase 1 of the project, a 7km stretch from
Chibiri to Kiyi in Kuje, and revealed that Phase 2, which is a 12km road from Kiyi to Gwagwalada has also been scheduled for completion by December 2026. He noted
that the scope of work covers everything from initial ground
preparation and durable paving to full flood-control drainage, including a significant bridge structure,
protective roadside reinforcements, and modern lighting to ensure the route is
safe at night.
He said that Kuje, being one of the major agricultural centres in the
FCT, will soon witness accelerated transportation of agricultural products in
the territory, the creation of more jobs, as well as the availability of more
alternative roads between the council and other parts of the FCT .
Managing Director of Gilmor Engineering Limited, Mr. Eli Goldhar,
representing the contractor, thanked the FCT
Minister for timely funding the project and for providing security which he
said enabled the company to execute the project according to schedule. He also
reiterated the commitment of the company to partnering with the government to
bring much needed infrastructure to the people of Nigeria.
More Pictures and
Captions
FCT Minister, Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (Left), as the Vice President, Alh Kashim Shettima (Right) receives the bouquet.
Aerial view of Phase 1 of Kuje-Gwagwalada Road commissioned on Wednesday 24 June, 2026
 |
| Managing Director, Gilmor Engineering Nigeria Limited, Mr Eli Goldhar (middle) seated among other dignitaries at the commissioning of Kuje-Gwagwalada Road |
RABI MUSA UMAR
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PRESS
(OFFICE OF THE HON. MINISTER)
FCTA/ODP/PR/865
24/06/2026
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