By Stanley Onyekwere
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has advanced his administration’s drive to fully integrate satellite communities into the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) core development framework.
To bridge the infrastructure gap between the city centre and its outskirts, the President flagged off the construction of a critical access road linking Tungan Madaki to the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway through Zuba.
Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, President Tinubu emphasized that the project is a pivotal step under the Renewed Hope Agenda to ensure rural and suburban communities are no longer left behind.
“What began as one road is now growing into a network, and that is how real development takes root.
“Infrastructure is not just concrete and asphalt. It is the bridge between potential and prosperity,”Tinubu stated.
The new road project is designed as a direct continuation of the recently commissioned Bill Clinton Drive-to-Tungan Madaki community road. By creating a unified network, the administration aims to weave underserved suburban areas directly into the capital’s economic fabric.
According to the President, the strategic expansion aims to ease traffic pressure within the Abuja city centre by providing efficient alternative routes for commuters, bolster the economic corridor linking the FCT, Kaduna, and the wider North-West region, and encourage fresh investments in housing, healthcare, education, and industrial development outside the city center.
For years, residents of Tungan Madaki, Zuba, and neighboring areas mostly farmers, traders, and students endured severe isolation due to poor road access.
By linking these satellite areas directly to the Abuja-Kaduna Highway, the project will drastically reduce travel times, lower transportation costs, and facilitate the movement of goods.
“When farmlands are opened, food becomes cheaper in our markets.
“When communities are connected, young people have more reason to build enterprises at home,” Tinubu noted.
Echoing the President’s vision, FCT Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike confirmed that the project directly fulfills the executive mandate to ensure all area councils and satellite towns are seamlessly connected to the city centre.
He noted that the project materialized after the Chairman of the Gwagwalada Area Council highlighted the need for a direct link. Upon completion, residents of Zuba and adjoining communities will enjoy fast, direct access to central Abuja and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport without the bottleneck of traveling through Gwagwalada.
Wike praised the renewed focus on project completion, expressing optimism that the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), will deliver the road by December as a “Christmas gift” to the communities.
In her part, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, added that the project stands as a bold demonstration of the administration’s resolve to ensure no community is left behind in the ongoing transformation of the nation’s capital.
She noted that by extending modern infrastructure to the outskirts, the FCT is successfully shifting from a centralized city into a comprehensively integrated urban network.
