Trending 
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the poor state of the Kuje-Gwagwalada road made it a haven for criminal activities and hindered economic development in surrounding communities.
Speaking during the commissioning of the reconstructed road, Wike said residents had repeatedly appealed to the government to rehabilitate the route, describing it as a major security and transportation challenge.
“That road has been a problem for us. Criminals use that road to cause havoc. Can you please allow the contractor to come back to that site?” Wike said, recalling appeals from community stakeholders.
According to the minister, residents specifically requested that the contractors return to complete the project, which they believed was critical to improving security and easing movement in the area.
“I said, if that is what you want, be assured that under this administration, the happiness of Mr President is the happiness of the people. When the people are happy, Mr President and his team will be happy,” he said.
Wike said the reconstruction fulfilled a promise the administration made to residents during consultations held in August.
The minister also recounted how community leaders had requested the rehabilitation of another road linking a market area and educational facilities, which they described as being in a deplorable condition.
“They said it was in a terrible state and that if we could do it, it would help them because they also have a market there,” he said.
Wike said he initially insisted on personally inspecting the road before approving the project.
“What I will do, I will go and check how the road is before we award it,” he said.
The minister said his decision to inspect the route from Gwagwalada to Kuje exposed the extent of infrastructural neglect in the area.
“As we were coming, it took about two hours. I said, where are we heading to? They said, Kuje. I said, ‘Are we in America where one state to another will take five or six hours?’ This is just within the FCT and we are taking two hours.”
Describing the experience as “horrible,” Wike said the road was virtually non-existent.
Beyond transportation challenges, Wike said the road’s poor condition had adversely affected farmers and agricultural productivity in the area.
“One good thing we found out was that you look at a place for agriculture, where people will go to farm and make produce, and then they have nowhere to carry it to the market,” he said.
According to him, the completed road would improve access to markets, enhance security and boost economic activities in farming communities across the corridor.
The FCT Minister added that the project reflects the administration’s commitment to addressing residents’ practical needs through infrastructure development.
