The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has launched a dual drive to overhaul Abuja’s public infrastructure and enforce urban planning laws ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during a site inspection on Wednesday, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike pledged that a minimum of 10 major road and infrastructure developments across the capital would be finished and ready for official commissioning before the forthcoming polls.
Accompanying delegates to inspect the ongoing works at the Tungan Madaki–Zuba Road and the Nile University–RR3 Road, Wike evaluated whether contractors remain on track to meet delivery deadlines established during the administration’s third anniversary.
At the Tungan Madaki–Zuba site, where five out of six box culverts have been built, the minister praised China Geo-Engineering Corporation for its progress. He confirmed the firm’s pledge to hand over the completed road by December.
“They have the capacity… They have the equipment,” Wike noted, expressing full confidence in the firm’s past track record.
Addressing broader logistics, the minister admitted that these heavy construction projects are capital-intensive. He acknowledged that despite receiving under 30 per cent of their initial mobilisation fees, several contractors have pressed ahead regardless. To prevent delays, Wike promised that the FCT Administration will honour its financial commitments promptly.
“We are also visiting some other two projects tomorrow, believing that by the end of the year, we would have had up to 10 projects, as promised, lined up for commissioning before the general election,” he added.
Alongside the road expansion schemes, the FCT Administration is tightening enforcement against environmental infractions and illegal developments.
A press statement from Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Public Communication and Social Media, confirmed that a city-wide campaign to clear drainage channels blocking natural waterways is now underway. Following initial demolitions in Maitama on Tuesday, the minister clarified: “We’ve just started somewhere… We are not going to end just with what we started yesterday.”
Furthermore, the minister revealed that the Director of Development Control has been queried over controversial approvals granted to motor traders occupying green spaces. Wike ordered the immediate clearance of all car dealerships operating in designated zones, insisting these locations must be safeguarded strictly for environmental protection and public recreation.