Wike inspects rural road projects in Kwali

By Stanley Onyekwere

In continuation of his inspection and evaluation of ongoing projects in the nation’s capital, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has inspected the ongoing construction of 25-kilometer Yebu Kwaita road, as well as the 11-kilometer Yangoji/Sukuku Ebo road, both in the Kwali Area Council of the FCT.

Speaking during the inspection visit, Wike expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work on the road projects expected to be completed by December this year.

He noted that the roads, when completed will not only provide access to the farmlands in the rural areas but will also improve transportation in remote parts of the FCT.

The Minister, in a statement from Director Press, (Office of The Minister), Anthony Ogunleye, also expressed confidence in the capacity of the contractors to deliver the road projects within the agreed schedule and assured them of adequate funding for the projects.

“I have confidence in Gilmor and other contractors who are involved in the construction of these roads in the satellite towns that they will keep to the promise they have made.

“On our own part, in terms of funding, it will not delay. It will not be our own problem that we will go and delay the finishing of these roads. They know that we have been funding them and we will continue to fund them”, he stressed.

Wike also explained that his frequent visits to project sites in the FCT was to showcase to Nigerians that the FCT is working, adding that there was no need for protests in the FCT.

According to him, the government has acknowledged the challenges in the country and commended FCT residents for opting out of the planned protests and embracing the option of dialogue.

He however, warned that the government will not fold its arms and watch criminals destroy properties and perpetrate crimes against innocent citizens under the guise of protests.

“If the FCT is working, why are you telling the residents to come and protest? We quite appreciate the level of hunger but we have said it is better for us to sit down and talk about it than to give room for hooligans to perpetrate crimes against innocent Nigerians.

“No right-thinking government will fold its arms and allow people to cause mayhem, destroy properties, and then we go back to square one”, he added.

Commenting on the impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the FCT, Barr. Wike said both the Abuja city center and the satellite towns have been positively impacted by the policies and programmes of the government.

He equally reiterated that  the commitment of the government to reducing the level of poverty in the country and providing the basic infrastructure that will make life better for the citizenry and called on Nigerians to exercise patience.

He said: “I have said before that the Renewed Hope Agenda is not just for the city. It’s also for the rural areas.

“Where we are coming from now, you can see it is 25 kilometers and look at how happy the people are. That is the essence of renewed hope and that is why we are saying that people should be patient with the government.

“While the government is doing everything to reduce the level of hunger, the government is also providing basic infrastructure that will improve the economy of our country”.