Tinubu commissions 7km Kuje-Gwagwalada Dual Carriageway
From left FCT Minister, Barr Nyesom Wike and Vice President, Alh Kashim Shettima receives the bouquet
…Phase 2 to be completed by December, 2026
Omeiza Bilal
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has declared that the current administration under his watch has delivered Renewed Hope to the satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), emphatically ending the historical trend of limiting Abuja’s development to the city center.
President Tinubu stated this on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, during the official commissioning of the newly completed 7km Kuje-Gwagwalada dual carriageway, linking Kuje Area Council to Gwagwalada.
Represented at the ceremony by Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu described the completion of the critical infrastructure project as a definitive promise kept, stressing that the transformation marks a vital victory for the FCT’s rural communities.
He said the road project equipped with pedestrian walkways and streetlights has transformed a route that had for decades been notorious as a dangerous, unmotorable death trap into a modern beacon of safety and economic opportunity for FCT residents.
According to President Tinubu, “For decades, this road was a death trap. Traders from Kuje, Gwagwalada, Kwali and beyond lost time, goods and sometimes lives while plying this route. Criminals thrived in the darkness. Students of our institutions wasted hours in traffic. Farmers could not get their produce to market on time. That story ends today”.
“The 7km dual carriageway with solar-powered street lights, pedestrian walkways and proper drainage is more than a road. It is security. It is commerce. It is dignity. It is an economic corridor linking Abuja to three Area Councils and opening an exit route to the southern parts of Nigeria.
“With the construction of this road, we have unlocked the agricultural potential of this area, opened new residential layouts and made the area safe for my mothers, students and workers to move at any hour. This is renewed hope delivered to our people in the satellite towns”, President Tinubu stated.
He extended praise to the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, CON, recalling the explicit mandate given to him upon his appointment to make Abuja work for all Nigerians, rather than just the residents of affluent areas like Maitama and Asokoro.
He lauded Barr. Wike for actively taking the Renewed Hope Agenda straight to the grassroots, stretching from the judicial quarters in Katampe to the rural communities of Kuje and Gwagwalada, proving that development under this administration will never be selective.
Addressing the local residents directly, the President reassured them that his government deeply sees and values them, promising that every area council and community counts and will continue to receive critical roads, water, schools, and hospitals.
While celebrating the developmental milestone, the President strongly urged the direct beneficiaries of the infrastructure to take full ownership and vigorously protect the road from abuse, warning them against building structures on the median or vandalizing the solar streetlights.
Acknowledging the broader economic climate, President Tinubu thanked Nigerians for their ongoing resilience through tough national reforms, stating that the hard choices made today were laying the necessary foundation for a stronger and more prosperous tomorrow. He encouraged citizens to remain steadfast and support the Renewed Hope Agenda, promising that under his watch, no community will be left behind as the government actively builds the nation of its dreams.
In his remarks at the event, FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike shed light on the origins of the Kuje-Gwagwalada road project, explaining that upon taking office, he personally toured all six FCT Area Councils to interact directly with local stakeholders and hear their needs.
He said during those interactive visits, the traditional ruler of Kuje specifically highlighted the direct link between the area’s severe insecurity and its broken roads, which made it nearly impossible for security agencies to pursue criminals, and pleaded for the completion of the abandoned airport road to the Kuje dual carriageway and later the Kuje-Gwagwalada road.
The Minister said the FCT Administration responded decisively to that request, first completing the road from Garage Junction to the LEA Secretariat, and the Airport Road to Kuje highway, and later presenting the Kuje-Gwagwalada road project to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), where President Tinubu promptly approved the contract award to Gilmor Nigeria Limited.
He expressed immense delight that the contractor delivered a high-quality road on time, and announced that the second phase of the corridor is already on track to be fully completed by December this year, allowing commuters to travel seamlessly between Gwagwalada and Kuje without being forced onto the busy federal highway.
Earlier, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, delivered an address expressing profound gratitude to President Tinubu and the Vice President for their unwavering commitment to systemic infrastructural renewal across the FCT and the nation.
Dr Mahmoud described the road project as a clear testament to the renewed hope agenda in action, stressing that the initiative had connected communities, boosted economic growth and also given wider opportunity to the people of Kuje, Gwagwalada and the entire FCT.
Hon Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, Coordinator, Satellite Towns Development Agency, gave the overview of the project. He stated that the project was in line with the vision of the FCT Minister to move development into the satellite towns, and that it aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. The STDA Director clarified that though the government was commissioning Phase 1 of the project which was a 7km stretch from Chibiri to Kiyi, he revealed that Phase 2 of the project, which was a 12km road from Kiyi to Gwagwalada had also been scheduled for completion by December 2026. He revealed that the scope of the project included site clearance and earthworks, construction of trapezoidal concrete line drain; laying of stone bays; two layers of asphalt, which is binder and wearing; one number of three span bridges, stone pitching works; construction of kerbs and installation of solar street lights.
He said that Kuje, being one of the major agricultural centres in the FCT, will soon witness accelerated transportation of agricultural products in the territory, the creation of more jobs, as well as the availability of more alternative roads between Kuje and other parts of Abuja.
Managing Director of Gilmor Engineering Limited, Mr. Eli Goldhar, representing the contractor, said “where good roads are, development is found.” He said the new road will facilitate the movement of farmers, traders and even schoolchildren in addition to connecting people and enhancing security in the region.
