Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says major road and infrastructure projects across Abuja are progressing despite earlier delays in the release of funds.
Wike spoke on Wednesday in Abuja after inspecting several ongoing projects aimed at improving connectivity and easing traffic congestion across the Federal Capital Territory.
Among the projects inspected were Arterial Road SI, linking Ring Road II to Arterial Road S20, also known as Oladipo Diya Way, in Kaura District, and Collector Road C2 in Life Camp, which connects to Arterial Road N5, Obafemi Awolowo Way.
He also inspected Arterial Road N16, which links Ring Road II with Ring Road III, Jereton Mariere Street around the Apo Legislative Quarters in Gudu, and renovation works at the IBB Golf Course.
Wike said the pace of work on the projects reflected what he described as a renewed focus on infrastructure under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“We are happy because we can see that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has redefined infrastructure as far as the FCT is concerned,” he said.
The minister said contractors were expected to complete the projects within the agreed timelines, adding that the Arterial Road N16 project remained a priority because of its strategic importance to traffic movement within the capital.
According to him, the difficult terrain and extensive bridge works along the corridor had not prevented the contractor from committing to delivery by the first week of January.
“If that N16 job is completed, obviously, the entire area will be a different thing altogether. That is a very huge infrastructure landmark,” Wike said.
He also said the renovated IBB Golf Course was expected to become fully operational by November and be capable of hosting major tournaments.
On funding, Wike disclosed that implementation of the FCT’s 2026 capital budget had reached 60 per cent.
He said contractors initially faced payment delays because of the late release of funds, but added that the situation had stabilised and contractors were now able to operate at full capacity.
The minister also advised politicians ahead of the next election cycle to focus on presenting their records and programmes to voters rather than engaging in what he described as distractions.
