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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday urged residents and business owners in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to honour civic obligations — including taxes, land fees and ground rents — to enable the government to deliver more infrastructure across the capital.
The President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the call while commissioning the completed Dape District section of Arterial Road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way), which stretches from Life Camp Junction to Ring Road III.
“To the residents and business owners enjoying this transformation, I urge you to meet your obligations. Pay your taxes. Clear your land fees and ground rents. Your compliance gives the FCT Administration the strength to build more roads like this one,” Tinubu said.
Describing the newly finished road as a “critical economic corridor”, Tinubu said the project would ease traffic congestion, improve connectivity and attract investment across the city. He recalled that the Gwarinpa I section of the road was commissioned in June 2025 and said completing the Dape stretch fulfilled a promise by his administration.
“On that day, we made a pledge to you. We promised not to leave this vital artery half-done. Because the Renewed Hope Agenda is not about abandoned projects; it is about delivery from start to finish,” he said. “And so today, we are back. We are back to close the circle.”
Tinubu said the project was conceived, funded and delivered under his administration and awarded to Julius Berger Plc with a strict 15-month completion timeline after it was flagged off in October 2024. “In the past, projects like this became permanent budget lines ten, fifteen years of excuses. Not under this administration,” he declared.
He commended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for what he called the administration’s “Engine of Execution” and praised Julius Berger for completing the work on schedule. “Minister Wike, you and your team have shown what happens when political will meets accountability. We fund projects to see results, not to listen to grammar,” he added.
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The completed N5 corridor, Tinubu said, will reduce travel times and provide seamless connectivity among Dape, Karmo, Gwarinpa I, Kado, Idu and Mbora. He highlighted the road’s role in linking directly to the Idu Industrial District, which he said would lower logistics costs, attract investment and create jobs. “Beyond that, this road opens a direct gateway to the Idu Industrial District. That means lower logistics costs for businesses, new investment, and more jobs for our people,” he said.
Tinubu also appealed to traditional rulers, community leaders and residents to protect public infrastructure from vandalism and to maintain drainage and streetlighting.
Speaking earlier, FCT Minister Wike said the commissioning marked the second day of a 31-day programme of project inaugurations to commemorate the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration.
He contrasted this year’s scale with past anniversary activities: “On June 24, 2024, when we had the first-year anniversary of Mr. President, we took nine days of commissioning of projects. In the second year anniversary, we took 19 days. To the glory of God, in this third year, we are touching 31 days of commissioning of projects.”
Wike credited President Tinubu for political support that he said accelerated development across Abuja and satellite towns. “For the first time, development has been taken to the satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory. This is unprecedented,” he said, adding that the Gwarinpa section of the N5 was delivered in seven months.
Addressing concerns about compensation for properties affected by the road, Wike insisted that those whose structures were demolished were duly compensated. “We paid. If you are saying that because you are from that place and development has passed and the government did not dash you money, we don’t dash money when we are carrying out development,” he said, dismissing protests by some attendees as inconsistent with the wider record of project delivery.
Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, on her part described the commissioning as another milestone under the Renewed Hope Agenda and praised Wike’s leadership. She thanked traditional rulers, community leaders and residents of Life Camp, Dape and neighbouring communities for their cooperation and expressed confidence that the road would boost commerce, improve transportation and support sustainable urban development in the territory.
The N5 arterial upgrade is part of a broader push by the FCT Administration to accelerate infrastructure delivery across Abuja and surrounding satellite towns.
