FCT ADMINISTRATION COMMENCES CONSTRUCTION OF RURAL ROADS

…AS MINISTER FLAGS OFF 9KM ROAD IN GWAGWALADA

…URGES CONTRACTOR TO EMPLOY YOUTHS,

… GETS CHIEFTAINCY TITLE

1.     Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has flagged off the construction of the 9km Paikon Kore-Ibwa Road in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT.

2.     The FCT Minister while conducting the flag-off exercise in Paikon Kore Community, Gwagwalada Area Council, in the FCT on Thursday, February 1, 2024, said the road project is among the 30km roads that are set to be constructed in the six Area Councils of the FCT.

3.     The Minister who noted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to making life comfortable for the rural population, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, assured that the FCT Administration is also determined to ensure that development reaches the rural parts of the FCT.

4.     According to the Minister, “Mr. President directed me to let you know that the renewed hope agenda is not by mere talking. Renewed Hope Agenda is for you to see that we are ready to bring back hope to our people. We are ready to bring back hope to the rural populace. We are ready to make our people in the rural areas comfortable. And one of those things that will make them comfortable is to give them access to the road”.

5.     Barrister Wike while noting that the provision of access roads to the rural communities will help to improve the security situation in the FCT, further disclosed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu will also construct two more roads in Gwagwalada Area Council, in addition to the Paikon Kore-Ibwa road.

6.     He said, “You cannot talk of fighting insecurity by only providing equipment and logistics to the police. You fight insecurity when there is access to roads. If there are no roads, all the equipment you may give to the police comes to nothing. I’m sure with this 9km road, it will go a long way to fight insecurity in this area.

7.     “Let me say that apart from this road, we are building two more roads in Gwagwalada Area Council this year. In a nutshell, this year alone, Gwagwalada Area Council will have three rural roads that will be constructed by the administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the same thing will happen to the other five Area Councils.

8.     “Tomorrow, we will be at Bwari. On Monday we will be at Kuje. On Tuesday, we will be at AMAC. Wednesday, we will be at Kwali. We will make sure we visit all the rural areas and we give them roads so that they will be able to go to their farms, and they will be able to transport their goods”.

9.     The Minister also assured of the availability of funds for the projects and called for diligence and good quality job from the contractors, warning that he will also visit the site to ascertain the quality and pace of work”.

10.  He said “I will not tell you when I will come here for supervision. And let me tell you, I will not also depend on the report submitted by the Acting Director of STDD. What I will depend on is what I have seen with my eyes. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I will not come here. I will come here and see what you are doing and if you don’t do it well, you will pay back my money.”

11.  Speaking further on the need to develop the Area Councils of the FCT, the Minister said, “My dear good people, time has come to change the narrative. Development must not only be in the city. One reason people migrate from the rural areas to the urban areas is because of lack of facilities. When you have given them good roads, for how many minutes, they are in the city. So, it is our duty to make them comfortable wherever they find themselves.”

12.  The Minister who was also informed by the Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council, Hon Abubakar Jibril Giri that the people of Paikon-Kore/Ibwa communities have conferred on him the Chieftaincy Title of Sarkin Yaki, thanked the people for the honour, and for being the first to give him such recognition in the FCT.

13.  He also charged the contractors to ensure that the people of the communities are also employed in the course of the road project, adding that job creation is also a priority of the President Tinubu administration.

14.  Also speaking on the efforts of the FCTA to address the security challenges in the territory, the Minister assured that the security agencies in the FCT have been provided with the necessary logistics to take the fight head on to the criminals to make sure that they do not sleep.

15.  “Today, you can see that we are not letting them go and they will not sleep. All these criminals, we will make sure they will not sleep. As they said you will not sleep, they too will not sleep. So, we are taking the war head on. Let them wait for us. They will see fire for fire” the Minister stressed.

16.   In her remarks the  Hon Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, said the Paikon Kore-Ibwa road project extends beyond just laying asphalt on the ground, as it would connect the communities and provide access to essential services as well as improve the security situation.

17.  Dr Mariya stressed that the difficulties faced by the rural communities, including access to markets, education and medical services in times of emergencies would also be addressed by the road construction.

18.  “It will enhance connectivity, reduce travel times and open an opportunity for trade and commerce. It will also improve access to education, empower our rural population and also improve our security challenges”, she added. 

19.  Also speaking, the Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council thanked the FCT Minister for providing succor to the rural communities in the FCT Area Councils with the construction of access roads, adding that the roads will help to address the issue of insecurity in the FCT.

20.  “Constructing this road from Paikon Kore to Ibwa, I know you have reduced the problems of insecurity also. Most of the people staying here are farmers and they find it difficult to bring their farm products to the town when the products are supposed to be in town. I believe with this very serious action that you aim to do, the people of this axis are very happy.”

21.  Giving an overview of the project, the Acting Director, STDD, Olusegun stated that the road is scheduled for completion by May this year.

22.  Also speaking, the MD, Setraco, Engr. Ziad Mouannes assured of the timely delivery of the project. 

ANTHONY OGUNLEYE

DIRECTOR OF PRESS

(OFFICE OF THE MINISTER)

01/02/2024

FCTA/ODP/PR/490