Wike Flags Off Construction of 9 km Road In Gwagwalada

By: Wisdom Acka

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has flagged off construction of nine-kilometre Paikon Kore-Ibwa road in Gwagwalada Area Council.

Wike, who performed the ceremony on Thursday, said that the project which is part of the 30-kilometre roads in the six Councils he earlier promised for the Councils, would promote rural development.

This is as he assured the FCT residents that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was not mere talk but action.

Wike explained that the road construction was designed to make rural dwellers comfortable and open up rural communities for development.

He added that two additional roads would be constructed in each of the Area Councils before the end of the year, to make it three rural roads per Area Council.

The Minister blamed the spate of rural urban migration on lack of roads and other basic amenities needed to make life comfortable.

According to him, the project will not only address insecurity, but also improve access to education, agriculture, access to market and economic activities.

He assured the contractor that funding would not be a problem; warning that he would accept nothing short of expected quality.

His words: “Funding will not be a problem but do it well; the people are entitled to quality roads. I will not tell you when I will come here for inspection. I will not also depend on a report from the Director overseeing the project. What I will depend on is what I see with my own eyes, not what they tell me.”

Corroborating Wike, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, stated that lack of access roads in communities had stagnated development in rural areas.

Mahmoud said that construction of the rural roads across the six Area Councils would not only open the rural communities for trade and commerce, but also improve access to market, health care, and education.

She said:”The project is not just about laying down asphalt; it is about connecting communities, improving access, and fostering economic development in our rural areas”.

“For too long, the lack of proper road infrastructure has hindered the progress of our rural communities,” she added.

“Farmers have struggled to transport their produce to markets; students have faced difficulties reaching schools; and medical emergencies have been compounded by the challenges of accessing timely healthcare,” the Minister of State reiterated.

Earlier, Oversite Director, Satellite Towns Development Department, FCTA, Dr. Olusegun Olusa, stated that benefiting communities were selected due to infrastructural deficit; adding that the project would be delivered before May 29 to mark President Tinubu’s one year in office.

Also speaking at occasion, the Chairman, Gwagwalada Area Council, Abubakar Giri, commended the Minister for the gesture; describing it as the first rural project to be executed by an FCT Minister in the area.

Giri said the road, when completed, would improve security in rural communities due to improved access to communities and boost the economy of the people.

He disclosed that over 90 per cent of the people in the area were farmers, who would benefit immensely from the road projects by comfortably transporting agricultural produce to the market.

Aguma of Gwagwalada, Mohammad Magaji, thanked the Minister for taking the bold step to develop rural communities in the FCT; expressing optimism that the project would facilitate development in rural community.

He, therefore, announced that the community has bestowed the traditional title of Sarkin Yakin (warlord) Paikon-Kore on the Minister, while awaiting approval for coronation.