By Stanley Onyekwere
In furtherance to ongoing efforts to boost road infrastructure, Barrister Nyesom Wike, yesterday inaugurated the resurfacing of 189 roads spanning 57 kilometres, and remedial works on bridges in Maitama, Garki and Utako Districts.
Performing the inauguration of the projects in Abuja, the Minister stated that the initiative was part of a commitment to maintain and optimise public infrastructure in the FCT.
Wike noted that the project was part of efforts to renew the hope of residents on good governance in line with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He urged residents to be patients with the inconveniences the road resurfacing would cause, adding that no development without sacrifice.
“You cannot talk about development without making sacrifices. There must be inconvenience. After that inconveniences you will benefit from it.
“Now we are making sacrifices for those things that were not done before.
“We are now willing to do it so there would be inconvenience for you and the inconvenience will not take a long time.
“So, make sacrifices for us, we are willing to do the work. Know that it is not intentional for people to suffer. It is for our own benefits,” he stressed.
He called on Nigerians to believe in President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda, adding that all the policies and programmes were not intended to make people suffer.
While urging Nigerians to be patient, Wike said:“you will see the turnaround of things, I will not support what will not work.
“Before now, all hope was lost, believing that nothing again will come out of FCT and that is the essence of Mr President’s renewed hope agenda.
“Don’t lose hope, I am going to bring back that hope and things will happen. I can assure that as far as FCT is concerned, things will work.”
He commended the support of the National Assembly and the area council chairmen for the support to deliver the dividends of democracy to the residents of FCT.
Earlier, Mr. Shehu Ahmad, Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, said that the 187 roads would cover a total of 57 kilometres across the three districts.
Ahmad assured residents that the project would be delivered by May.
The Council Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Christopher Maikalangu, said that the roads in Maitama were weak due to long usage, adding that resurfacing was timely.
Maikalangu called on the minister to address the problem of water supply being experienced in Maitama District to relieve the resident of the burden of digging boreholes.
Also, he pledged the support of the area council in the ongoing efforts to transform the federal capital.
In their separate remarks, the Chairmen House Committee on FCT and Senate Committee on FCT, Mr. Aliyu Betara and Mr. Ibrahim Bomayi, respectively, assured the minister of continued support of the National Assembly to enable him succeed.
On his part, the Chief of Garki, Sapayi of Garki, Alhaji Usman Nga-Kupi, commended the minister for the efforts to transform the landscape of FCT, including improving the security situation in the Territory.
Nga-Kupi, who pledged the support of the traditional council, appealed to the minister to ensure the completion of Karshi to Apo Road to address the traffic gridlock being experienced along the road.
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