ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday flagged off the construction of the access road linking Tungan Madaki to the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway through Zuba, declaring that no community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would be left behind in his administration’s infrastructure drive.
Represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, the President said the project was part of the Renewed Hope Agenda to bridge the development gap between Abuja’s city centre and its satellite communities.
Tinubu said the road would improve connectivity, reduce travel time, boost economic activities and open up farming communities to larger markets.
“This project is a direct continuation of the road from the Bill Clinton Drive to Tungan Madaki Community Road which we commissioned a few weeks ago. What began as one road is now growing into a network, and that is how real development takes root,” he said.
He noted that residents of Tungan Madaki, Zuba and neighbouring communities had suffered years of poor road access, resulting in high transport costs, lost farm produce and restricted economic opportunities.
According to the President, the new road will provide a direct link to the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, making movement easier for commuters, traders and farmers.
“It will connect rural productivity to urban opportunity. When farmlands are opened, food becomes cheaper in our markets. When communities are connected, young people have more reason to build enterprises at home,” Tinubu stated.
Describing infrastructure as the foundation of economic prosperity, he said the project would also ease traffic congestion within Abuja, strengthen the economic corridor between the FCT and Kaduna, and attract investments in housing, healthcare, education and industry.
Tinubu praised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for the rapid pace of infrastructure development across Abuja, saying the administration was delivering projects with visible impact on residents.
Earlier, the FCT Minister Barr Nyesom Wike said the road project was in line with Tinubu’s directive that all satellite towns and area councils should be connected to the city through modern road infrastructure.
According to him, the extension of the road became necessary after the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council requested a direct link from Zuba to Abuja to reduce travel time for residents.
“It has been the directive of Mr. President that all communities and satellite towns must be linked to the city. What we are doing today is fulfilling that promise,” Wike said.
The minister said the road would provide easier access to Abuja and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for residents of Zuba and surrounding communities, while boosting commercial activities in the area.
He expressed confidence that the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), would complete the project before the end of the year.
“We are putting pressure on the contractor to ensure that by December, by the grace of God, we will commission this road. For the people of Tungan Madaki and Zuba, this is a Christmas gift,” Wike added.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, said the project underscored the Tinubu administration’s commitment to extending infrastructure and economic opportunities to underserved communities.
She said the road would improve connectivity, stimulate commerce, attract investment and enhance the quality of life of residents of Tungan Madaki, Zuba and neighbouring communities.
