By Omeiza Ajayi
Abuja: President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday commissioned the full-scope development of Akinwumi Ajibola Street, comprising Important Local Streets (ILS) 16, 18 and 19, in Gaduwa District, Abuja, commending the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, for reshaping the culture of infrastructure delivery in the territory.
At the event, Wike used the opportunity to restate his warning to the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC, Christopher Maikalangu, against renaming federally constructed roads without authorization.
Represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu said Wike moved decisively to address years of neglect on the street after reviewing project files. “When the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, reviewed the files and saw the neglect, he did not issue another memo. He brought contractors back to site, set clear targets, and backed them with funding. Under this administration, there is no excuse of ‘no money,'” he said.
Praising the Minister directly, the President said: “Minister Wike, let me put it on record. You have changed the delivery culture in the FCT. You ended the era of mobilization without movement. You ended the era of abandoned inner roads while major highways took all the attention. You are taking development from the city centre into the districts and the satellite towns, street by street, so that no resident is left behind. That is leadership.”
He added: “You inspect, you correct, you finish. Minister, you have my confidence, you have my commendation, and the FCT has your results. Well done to you and to your team.”
Tinubu said the newly commissioned street had remained inaccessible to residents who built homes in the district in good faith for years. “For years, families in Gaduwa built homes here in good faith, yet they had no motorable road to reach those homes. When the rains came, the place became impassable. That is not how a capital city treats its citizens,” he said, adding that the project would improve urban mobility, raise property values and reduce vehicle damage and travel time.
He urged residents to protect the infrastructure. “Do not dump refuse in the drains. Do not vandalize the streetlights or road furniture. Report damage early. A street built by government and maintained by its community becomes permanent. That is the partnership I am asking for,” he said.
In his remarks, Wike, who noted that the commissioning marked the 16th day of a 31-day programme of project commissionings to mark the administration’s third year in office, turned to the Chairman of AMAC over the naming of federally built roads. “Let me also warn the Chairman of AMAC: do not wait for us to construct roads to put your name on them. There are people here who have no street named after them. You wake up in the morning to see streets named after individuals, yet it is the Federal Government that constructed them. Do not use our projects to collect revenue. Use your own money to construct roads and then name those streets after whomever you wish. I do not want a situation where we come here tomorrow and see Someone’s name on a street we built. Chairman AMAC, I hope you have heard us,” he said.
Wike acknowledged that street naming falls within the responsibility of local government councils, but insisted that federal permission was required for roads built by the Federal Government.
“I am aware of the argument that naming streets is the sole responsibility of local government councils. I was once a council chairman myself, so I understand that. However, if it is the Federal Government that constructed the roads within the city, permission must be obtained from the Federal Government before you name those streets,” he said, adding: “Someone might ask why? I, having left the position of council chairman, would remember this. Well, as the saying goes, ‘It is condition that makes the crayfish bend.’ Circumstances shape our actions.”
He recalled that Tinubu had directed, upon his and the Minister of State’s appointment, that every district in the FCT receive government attention. “Every district in the FCT must receive the attention of this government. No district should be left without feeling the impact of your administration, whether in the city proper or in the satellite towns,” he quoted the President as saying, listing Kwali, Jahi-Gwarinpa, Katampe and Guzape among districts already covered, including the 13.3-kilometre Gomani-Bafa-Yangoje road commissioned in Kwali a day earlier.
Also speaking, the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, thanked President Tinubu, Wike and other stakeholders for the successful completion of the project, describing it as another milestone in the transformation of the territory under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
She reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to sustaining infrastructure development across Abuja.
