By Stanley Onyekwere
To mark the third anniversary of his administration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to launch a marathon infrastructure commissioning in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) starting today (Tuesday).
The announcement was made on Monday by the Minister of the FCT, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, following a high-level site verification tour across the capital city to assess final delivery frameworks.
The upcoming inaugurations highlight a series of “legacy projects” aimed at easing traffic gridlock in the city center and expanding economic connectivity to the capital’s peripheral zones.
According to him, the commissioning itinerary kicks off today with stage two of the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) main carriageways.
Wike confirmed the critical arterial bypass is 100 percent complete.
The presidential projects commissioning marathon will continue through the week with the following schedule commissioning of the strategic Arterial Road N5 in the Life Camp district, official opening of the newly dualized highway 105, spanning the critical economic corridor from the Airport to the Kuje carriageway.
“These three projects are one hundred percent complete and ready,” Wike told reporters, praising the engineering contractors for meeting their strict delivery deadlines.
Beyond the urban core, Tinubu is also scheduled to visit several satellite towns to personally inaugurate infrastructure developments within the FCT Area Councils.
While specific locations are being kept confidential for logistics and security reasons, the Minister emphasized that the rural outreach reflects the administration’s determination to bring development to grassroots communities.
Reflecting on the rapid execution of the projects, Wike praised President Tinubu’s administrative support, emphasizing the importance of finishing ongoing public works regardless of who started them.
He said:”I have always said that one of the things about leadership is the will to continue with projects that may not have been initiated by you, but you continue and complete those projects. The credit must go to Mr. President.”
Addressing public concern regarding completed but locked public transit terminals across Abuja, Wike pleaded for patience from FCT residents.
He explained that the delays are due to mandatory government procurement bureaucracy rather than infrastructural readiness.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) lease structure to prevent the terminal facilities from being mismanaged under direct government operations.
Wike disclosed that the private concessionaire is currently assembling a standardized fleet of commercial buses and taxis to ensure a synchronized, modern launch.
“Government process is not easy; bureaucracy is involved.
“We don’t want to commit ourselves to go and run that business because we know that it won’t work.
“The person going to manage the facility has pleaded with us that he is assembling the vehicles to ensure that it takes off smoothly,” he stated.
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