Wike: Tungan Madaki-Zuba Road, 9 Others to Be Ready Before 2027

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said at least 10 major infrastructure projects in Abuja are expected to be completed and ready for commissioning before the 2027 general elections.

Wike gave the assurance on Wednesday while inspecting the ongoing Tungan Madaki-Zuba Road and Nile University-RR3 Road projects in the FCT.

He said the inspection was aimed at assessing the progress of projects launched during the FCT Administration’s third anniversary and determining whether the contractors were on course to meet their delivery deadlines.

At the Tungan Madaki-Zuba Road project, Wike said five of the six box culverts had been completed and expressed satisfaction with the pace of construction.

The minister said China Geo-Engineering Corporation, the contractor handling the project, had the equipment, experience and capacity required to complete the road. He added that the company had assured the administration that the project would be delivered by December.

Wike said the FCT Administration would also honour its financial commitments to contractors to ensure that funding did not delay the projects.

He disclosed that some contractors had not received up to 30 per cent mobilisation for the capital-intensive projects but had continued working despite the situation.

According to the minister, the administration expects to have about 10 major projects completed and ready for commissioning before the 2027 elections.

He said the administration would continue inspecting other projects to ensure that contractors remained committed to their delivery schedules.

Wike also spoke about the administration’s efforts to address flooding in Abuja, saying structures obstructing waterways would continue to be removed.

He said the demolition exercise, which began in Maitama, would be extended to other locations where buildings and other structures had blocked drainage channels.

The minister also disclosed that the Director of Development Control was being questioned over approvals allegedly issued to car dealers to operate on designated green areas.

He ordered the removal of car dealerships from such locations, saying the green areas were meant to serve recreational and environmental purposes.

Wike said the decision to remove the dealerships would stand regardless of the individuals or businesses involved. He advised car dealers to acquire or rent appropriate locations for their businesses instead of occupying protected green spaces.

The minister defended the ongoing enforcement against structures built on waterways, arguing that such developments could obstruct the movement of stormwater and increase the risk of flooding.

He dismissed criticism of the demolition exercise on social media, asking whether constructing buildings on water channels could be regarded as following due process.

Wike maintained that the FCT Administration was enforcing planning and environmental regulations to protect communities and public infrastructure.

He vowed that the exercise would continue until structures obstructing drainage channels and other public infrastructure were removed.