…Says “FG taking development to satellite towns
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, yesterday, conducted an inspection of the ongoing Kabusa/Ketti and Kabusa/Takushara road construction projects in Abuja Municipal Area Council, promising their inauguration by the end of May.
During the tour of the 10.5-kilometer Kabusa/Ketti and 9.8-kilometer Kabusa/Takushara roads, Wike emphasized the administration’s commitment to extending development beyond the city center.
“The emphasis Mr. President has always made is that we should not only concentrate in the cities. We should take development to the satellite towns. You can see how happy the residents were in Ketti in particular, which is a heavily populated area,” he told journalists.
According to a statement by Director of Press, Anthony Ogunleye, the Minister praised the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Christopher Maikalangu, for highlighting the urgent need for the projects.
“I want to commend the Chairman of AMAC who drew our attention to these two very important roads. But for him, probably we may not have taken our attention to this place,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction with the contractors’ progress, Wike assured, “I’m happy with what the contractors are doing and hopefully, by the end of May, these two roads will be inaugurated as part of the second year anniversary of Mr. President. So, we are very happy with what we have seen.”
Wike noted the roads’ potential to curb rural-urban migration by improving connectivity and encouraging affordable housing development in the area. “With this road being done, you don’t need to say let us go and stay in the city. From here to the city is not up to 10 minutes, and that’s what road network brings. It will open up the entire place. You will see people will like to come and build houses here instead of staying in the city that appears to be more expensive,” he explained.
He reaffirmed his pledge to build schools in the area, pending the passage of the 2025 statutory budget. “I remember that when we came here to flag off these projects, I promised them that I will build schools, which is still on my table, and I’m waiting for the passage of the 2025 statutory budget for us to commence. So, I think we are happy, and I know the people are happy,” Wike stated.
Responding to requests for internal estate roads in Lugbe, Wike clarified, “The estate belongs to the Federal Housing Authority. They should be able to take care of their estate. The roads we should do are roads that will open up the entire city. Let us open up the areas that link up to the major cities and the satellite towns before we begin to talk about building roads within estates.”