By MyEngineers
Nearly 50 years after it was created to be Nigeria’s capital, Abuja is beginning to show the face of a proper capital city, thanks to a wave of infrastructure projects delivered by the Federal Capital Territory Administration under Minister Nyesom Wike.
This was the message at a special thanksgiving dinner held to celebrate the successful inauguration of 31 projects across the FCT within just 28 days, part of activities marking the third anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The projects cut across roads, bridges, health facilities, water schemes, judges’ quarters and other critical infrastructure spread across the six Area Councils and the city centre.
President Tinubu, in a speech read on his behalf, said the rapid pace of development in Abuja shows that good governance is measured by results and not promises. He said every new road built shortens someone’s journey, and every bridge connects communities, opportunities and people.
Giving an account of the administration’s work, Wike said the numbers tell the story of steady progress. In the first year of the administration, 9 projects were inaugurated. In the second year, that number rose to 19. By the third year, 31 projects were completed and commissioned.
He revealed that more than 70 per cent of these completed projects were actually abandoned by previous administrations and had to be revived before they could be finished. According to him, the only major project still outstanding is the Inner Southern Expressway, known as OSEX.
Wike explained that two key decisions helped speed up project delivery. The first was the approval to establish the FCT Civil Service Commission, which restored career progression for civil servants and allowed workers to rise to the positions of Permanent Secretary and Head of Service. He said this boosted morale among staff who were demoralised when he took office in August 2023.
The second was the removal of the FCT Administration from the Treasury Single Account. This gave the administration room to access financing from commercial banks, which in turn sped up the execution of major infrastructure projects.
Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr Peer Lubasch, who spoke on behalf of contractors working on the projects, praised the pace of commissioning recorded in recent weeks. He said it reflected a genuine commitment to quality infrastructure delivery, adding that Julius Berger has been part of Abuja’s development story from its earliest years to the present day.
With the volume of roads, bridges and public facilities now completed across the territory, residents of Abuja say the city is finally beginning to feel like the capital it was designed to be.