By Stanley Onyekwere
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that the era of infrastructural neglect in the Federal Capital Territory’s satellite towns is officially over.
The President made the declaration on Monday, during the official commissioning of the massive water supply network to the Karu Satellite Town and its environs.
The project, held in the Kurudu community along the Karu-Karshi Road, marks the ninth day of a series of high-profile project commissionings aligning with the administration’s third anniversary and the historic 50th anniversary of the FCT.
The President, who was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima, emphasized that access to clean water is a fundamental human right.
The newly inaugurated project features over 194 kilometers of secondary and tertiary pipeline networks executed by CGC Nigeria Limited.
The network delivers treated, safe potable water directly to households across several rapidly growing working-class communities, including: Karu, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and surrounding areas
“When we launched the Renewed Hope Agenda, we made a sacred covenant with the Nigerian people.
“We promised that governance would no longer be a theoretical exercise confined to the boardrooms of the city centers while our people in the periphery thirsted for basic amenities. The metropolitan loops must not end in the elite districts,” Tinubu stated.
The President lauded FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, playfully calling him the “Mr. Project” of the administration, and praised his executive capacity to translate vision into tangible reality.
He further charged the residents of Karu to fiercely safeguard the multi-billion naira infrastructure against vandalism and illegal connections.
Earlier, while providing context on the project’s rapid execution, Wike revealed that the groundwork was laid in September 2024 during the President’s state visit to Beijing, China, where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with CGC.
He noted that following a presidential directive, the funding was captured in the 2025 National Budget and released early to eliminate bureaucratic delays.
He added that the contract, which was awarded in August of last year, was completed and commissioned in less than ten months.
Wike also dropped a hint of upcoming infrastructure milestones for the area.
In his characteristic witty style, Wike, a member of the opposition PDP, congratulated the ruling APC on its recent weekend election victory while praising his own party for keeping the government on its toes.
Turning to the local crowd, Wike quipped: “Now that the Renewed Hope Agenda has delivered for the people of Karu, I hope that when the appropriate time comes, the Karu community will also stand firmly by us. One good turn deserves another.”
On her part, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the project as a critical milestone that fulfills a long-standing aspiration of the residents.
Mahmoud noted that the water network will dramatically improve public health, enhance local sanitation, boost suburban economic activities, and relieve families—especially women and children—who have endured decades of relying on unsafe boreholes and expensive commercial water vendors.
She urged the community to take absolute ownership of the facilities to guarantee their sustainability for future generations.
