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• Says era of satellite towns’ neglect over
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu yesterday commissioned a new water supply network serving Karu and surrounding communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), saying the era of neglect for Nigeria’s satellite towns was over.
Represented by Vice‑President Kashim Shettima at the commissioning of the project along Karu‑Karshi Road, President Tinubu described the initiative as a fulfilment of the Renewed Hope Agenda and a demonstration that his administration delivers.
“It is with a deep sense of fulfilment and gratitude to Almighty God that I stand before you today to commission the water supply network to Karu and its environs,” the President said in the address. “We are here not just to cut a ribbon, but to breathe life into a fundamental human right that has eluded this bustling community for far too long.”
Tinubu said the government moved quickly when the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, presented the Karu proposal. “We did not hesitate. We knew that water is life and denying our people clean water is denying them health, dignity and economic progress,” he stated.
President Tinubu credited timely funding with keeping the project on schedule, saying contractors, CGC Nigeria Limited, completed work ahead of time. The project delivers more than 194 kilometres of secondary and tertiary pipelines to supply treated, potable water directly to the doorsteps of Karu, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and neighbouring communities.
“When we launched the Renewed Hope Agenda, we made a sacred covenant with the Nigerian people,” Tinubu said. “We promised a government that listens, a government that plans and crucially, a government that delivers.”
He lauded the FCT minister as “Mr. Project” for translating policy into infrastructure and urged residents to protect the installations. “This infrastructure belongs to you. It was built with your commonwealth and designed for your well‑being,” he said, adding, “I therefore urge you to safeguard these installations against vandalism and illegal connections.”
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Marking his administration’s third anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the FCT, Tinubu said the Karu project was a template for similar interventions in other area councils, including Bwari. “Our commitment to urban renewal and rural integration is absolute,” he declared, promising continued reforms and projects that ensure “the wealth of this nation trickles down to the people who need it most.”
Earlier, Wike expressed the FCT Administration’s deep gratitude to President Tinubu for backing people‑focused projects across the capital, including its satellite towns. He said the water scheme was carried out in response to a presidential directive to extend critical infrastructure beyond the city centre into satellite communities.
He reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment via the FCT management, to delivering projects and programmes that improve the lives and livelihoods of territory residents.
Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, also thanked the President and Vice‑President for their tireless support in transforming the FCT’s infrastructure.
Giving an overview, Executive Secretary of the FCDA, Richard Dauda, said the project was conceived with the wellbeing of Karu residents in mind. The scheme uses an existing reservoir tank and connects more than 1,000 distribution lines to service Karu and neighbouring communities.
He thanked President Tinubu for supporting a project he described as a major step forward in providing potable water to Karu, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and adjoining areas.
Residents in the Karu axis have long relied on boreholes and water vendors, with campaigners and community leaders frequently calling for expanded municipal supply. The new network is expected to reduce dependence on unsafe sources and ease water costs for households and businesses in the fast‑growing satellite town.
