News

Projects: Our Sense Of Geography Has Been Altered By Wike – FCT Residents

Published

3 weeks ago

June 28, 2025

As part of activities marking the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike stunned the residents when he announced that no fewer than 19 projects had been completed and ready for inauguration.

Wike was right but the people, who had never seen such a feat in many decades, never believed the minister. And, it came to pass that as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, began the cutting of tapes to signal the completion of life-changing projects across the FCT, the people marvelled.

However, due to the itinerary of the president, the minister was forced to scale down the projects from 19 to 17, stating that he would commission the others on his own.

The first project that was commissioned was the newly-renovated Abuja International Conference Centre AICC, which happened on June 10.

According to Wike, the president accepted to commission 10 of the projects while Vice President Kashim Shettima will commission three on behalf of the president. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas were to commission two projects apiece, on behalf of the president.

The remaining two were to be commissioned by the FCT administration to round off the series of projects completed by the FCT administration under Mr. Wike, a PDP strong political ally of Mr. President who does not mind working closely with the APC-led Tinubu administration.

Out of 11 projects so far commissioned, the president has personally commissioned five.

Apart from the ICC (now Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre courtesy of Wike), some of the projects so far commissioned include; the Arterial Road N16 (Shehu Shagari Way) from Ring Road One (Nnamdi Azikiwe Way) to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Road) and some other roads in Katampe District; the Left-Hand Service Carriageway of Outer Southern Expressway OSEX Stage II from Ring Road 1 Junction to Wasa Junction also known as Apo – Wasa road; and, The Greater Abuja Water Supply Network, Loops 1,2,5&6 of the Federal Capital City FCC.

Others are: Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminal; Collector Road CN2, also known as Mabushi – Katampe road; the Arterial Road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) from Life Camp Junction to Ring Road III (RR3); the 15-kilometre road from A2 Junction on the Abuja – Lokoja road to Pai town in Kwali Area Council; the 16-kilometre right-hand service carriageway of the Inner Northern Expressway INEX from Ring Road 3 to the Outer Northern Expressway ONEX (Murtala Muhammed Way), also known as the Idu – Zuba road; the Interchange bridges of Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way) over the Outer Northern Expressway (Murtala Muhammed Expressway) by Katampe Extension; and, the Kugbo Bus and Taxi Terminal.

Within the period, President Tinubu also turned the sod for the design and construction of the headquarters annex of the electoral umpire in Maitama, Abuja.

Other projects commissioned include the 10km Aguma Palace–Radio Nigeria–Market Road in Gwagwalada; the 18km Nyanya–Karshi dual carriageway; the 7.4km Dutse Alhaji–Usuma Dam Road; and the 16.4km dualized road from Ushafa to War College and Army Checkpoint among others.

Months before then, Wike had commissioned some other roads in the satellite towns, including the 9km Paikon Kore – Ibwa road in Gwagwalada Area Council; the 7.2km Gaba – Tokulo road in Bwari Area Council; the 5km dualized Kuje township road from Tipper Garage to LEA Secretariat; the 11km Sukuku-Ebo-Yangoji road in Kwali Area Council; and, the 5km road to Saburi I and II in Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC from old Keffi road near the Dei-Dei International Market.

Residents react

As expected, there has been a flurry of positive reactions from residents, including the high and mighty.

While the president has been effusive with praises of his FCT minister in his speeches at all the events, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said he had never witnessed such pace of rapid development.

“I was a minister in the last administration. I can’t remember a day I went for commissioning of any project in the FCT”, said Akpabio.

A civil servant, Ayinde Olaniyi who lives around the Jahi area said the Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way) Interchange Bridge over Outer Northern Expressway (Murtala Mohammed Expressway) has improved connectivity within the axis.

“With this bridge, it is easier to turn to the other Lane without having to drive for long. Also, the aesthetics is lovely. People around Jahi, Katampe, Katampe Extension and Also will benefit massively from this. But it will also benefit all those who use this route daily, whether they are coming from the Kubwa do Nyanya axis”, he said.

Olaniyi however begged security agencies to ensure that miscreants don’t loiter or sleep under the bridge at night.

An Uber driver, Usman Ali said it would take some time for him and others to master some of the new roads, saying there is probably a need for Google Navigation system to reconfigure the Google Map and add the new directions.

He said; “Honestly, these roads are something else. Give it to Wike. You may not like him politically but you cannot deny the fact that he has performed. Look at this Idu – Zuba road. I never imagined that the road would be done. But today, it is done and open to traffic. It is 16 kilometres of smooth sailing”.

Residents of Pai town in Kwali Area Council were also happy about the 15-kilometre A2 Junction (from the Abuja-Lokoja Expressway) to their community.

They are even more elated by the fact that the 15.4 kilometre stretch from Pai to Gomani is currently under construction while another 15 kilometre from Gomani to Yangoji has been awarded.

Some of the locals said they now have easy access to the primary school and health centre in the area.

Kubwa residents beg

Meanwhile, residents of Kubwa in Bwari Area Council have begged the minister to include them in the scheme of things.

While they praised Wike for his developmental strides in the territory, particularly in Ushafa, Bwari and neighbouring Saburi community, the residents said Kubwa being Abuja’s largest suburban town is home to a very large population and businesses.

One of the residents, Isaiah Jacob said; “We are happy with what the minister is doing. Honestly, he has tried. That is not debatable. The other day, I went to Zuba Spare Parts Market and I decided to test-drive my car and discovered a new road. I drove on the road until I found myself in Tunga Maje. Honestly, I never knew that Wike had constructed that road. You don’t need to use the Express Way to access Tunga Maje from Zuba or vice versa. And he did not make noise about it. I don’t even think the road was commissioned. I think he just constructed it and opened it to traffic without any funfair. We are only pleading that, as his budget improves, he turns his magic wand on Kubwa”.

A pastor in Kubwa, Abraham Wetkos, listed some of the roads needing emergency repairs in Kubwa.

“The longest road here is the Gado Nasko road. It needs rehabilitation. The Arab Road which remains uncompleted, also needs a lot of work. Till now, the bridge linking it to F01 is not completed. Then, there is the Chikakore road and the Sultan Dasuki Road. I don’t think all the roads combined are up to 40 kilometres. Please, honourable minister, come over to ‘Macedonia’. We need your help in Kubwa”, he said.
(VANGUARD)

News

[OPINION] 2031: The Burden Of Hope And The Ijaw Expectation

Published

15 minutes ago

July 21, 2025

Editor

By William Bozimo

There are seasons in politics. Some are sown in silence, others harvested in thunder. As 2031 draws nearer, the Ijaw people of Delta State are not merely watching the calendar, they are watching history, and what it has stubbornly denied them. From Burutu to Forcados, Bomadi to Gbaramatu, the land speaks in neglected bridges and abandoned schools. These are not merely just underdeveloped regions, they are also under-recognized legacies.

For a people who lit the flame of minority rights and carried the nationalist dream through tidal creeks, the reward has been astonishingly lean. Governor James Ibori, the architect of modern Delta’s political rhythm, rose from the central zone. His successor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, emerged not from the Ijaw-dominated South but from Itsekiri stock. The pendulum then swung North, and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa stepped forward with poise and plans.

Okowa built Anioma with a craftsman’s eye. Roads were laid, institutions rebranded, and identities elevated. Now, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, back from the central zone, follows suit. But what of the Ijaw South? The rotation is fair in mathematics but faulty in morality. For the Ijaw people, they do not demand charity. They are simply asking for symmetry. In a democracy where rotation substitutes for merit, equity must substitute for silence.

The oil that built Delta’s skyline was first drilled in their backyards. Their sons and daughters have bled in military uniforms, paddled ballots through floodplains, and kept the pipelines flowing; but when decisions are made in Asaba, they remain too often as footnotes. 2031 must not be another delay disguised as diplomacy. It must not be another “Almost” whispered in party caucuses. It must be the year the Ijaw dream of leadership crosses from agitation into realization.

Let no one say there are no Ijaw sons capable of governing. From academia to the civil service, from the creeks to the corridors of Abuja, they have led without limelight. All they ask now is the chance to lead from the centre, not the sidelines. This is no tribal plea. It is a moral alert. The rotation will lose its legitimacy if it keeps returning to the same addresses while skipping over the forgotten. A truly united Delta State must look every ethnic group in the eye and give them a reason to believe again. 2031 is not just an election year. For the Ijaw nation, it is a referendum on belonging.

William Z. Bozimo
Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper

News

‘Missing N6trn’: SERAP Drags FG To ECOWAS Court Over Unpublished NDDC Audit

Published

10 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Editor

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and four concerned Nigerians have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, over its failure to publish the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

According to SERAP, the report, which allegedly details the disappearance of a staggering N6 trillion from the NDDC between 2001 and 2019, is said to be shrouded in secrecy despite being submitted to the Federal Government (FG).

Specifically, the rights group, alongside its co-plaintiffs, are contending that withholding the report amounts to a grave breach of Nigeria’s international human rights obligations, particularly the right to access public information.

The suit, designated ECW/CCJ/APP/35/25, also lists Prince Taiwo Aiyedatiwa, Chief Jude Igbogifurotogu Pulemote, Ben Omietimi Tariye, and Princess Elizabeth Egbe as co-applicants.

In their submissions, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the Nigerian government’s refusal to release the audit findings violates the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which Nigeria has ratified.

They are further seeking an order compelling the publication of the audit report and demanding systemic reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of NDDC funds.

“The Nigerian government has violated our right to know the truth about the corruption allegations documented in the NDDC forensic report.

“The obstruction of the publication is aiding impunity and shielding high-ranking officials from accountability,” the plaintiffs said.

The forensic audit was initiated in 2019 by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari following widespread allegations of grand-scale corruption within the NDDC.

More recently, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alleged that the wife of a former minister received N48 billion within a single year under the guise of training the women of the Niger Delta.

Counsel for the applicants, Kolawole Oluwadare, emphasised the public’s right to scrutinise government actions.

They argued that the NDDC audit report is not classified information, and that continued concealment undermines citizens’ ability to hold leaders accountable and weakens the rule of law.

“There is an overriding public interest in the publication and disclosure of the NDDC forensic report.

“The continuing failure to publish the report denies the plaintiffs the ability to study its contents and pursue accountability for the documented corruption,” the lawyer stated.

Citing international human rights instruments, the plaintiffs insisted that access to public information is a critical component of freedom of expression and civic participation.

They stressed that information regarding the NDDC audit falls squarely within this right and cannot be withheld arbitrarily or indefinitely.

“Access to public information is a fundamental human right protected by Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“These treaties obligate Nigeria to respect, promote, and ensure transparency,” the suit reads.

They also invoked the principle of ‘maximum disclosure,’ a core tenet of the right to information, stipulating that transparency should be the default, and secrecy the rare exception.

Any restriction, they noted, must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and justifiable under international law.

“The burden is on the Nigerian government to prove that withholding the NDDC audit is consistent with its human rights obligations,” they added.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs stated that the government’s inaction obstructs victims of corruption from seeking legal redress and undermines the integrity of public institutions.

“By denying access to this information, the Nigerian government is violating our right to an effective legal remedy. Secrecy and impunity cannot be the norm in a democratic society,” they said.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

News

WAEC Speaks On Rumoured Cancellation Of 2025 WASSCE Exams

Published

10 hours ago

July 20, 2025

Editor

… says results of exam will be released on or before Thursday, August 4

… report on cancellation of exams fake news — Education Ministry

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has distanced itself from a fake press statement alleging the cancellation of all the papers written during the just concluded 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

WAEC noted that the spurious press statement being circulated did not emanate from the council and should be disregarded by the public.

Acting Head, Public Affairs, WAEC, Yaba, Lagos, Moyosola Adesina, reacting to the fake statement, disclosed that the marking scripts for the said 2025 WASSCE exams have just been concluded and results will be released on or before Thursday, August 4, 2025.

She said: “The attention of WAEC, Nigeria, has been drawn to a press statement alleging the cancellation of all the papers written during the just concluded WASSCE for school candidates, 2025.

“According to the press statement dated Saturday, July 19th, 2025, being circulated on social media platforms, the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with WAEC, had cancelled the said examination due to widespread examination malpractice, coordinated leakage of question papers, and unauthorised digital dissemination of exam materials.

“The WAEC management would like to state unequivocally that the spurious press statement being circulated did not emanate from the council.

“The said examination has not been cancelled.”

Adesina stated that even though the source of the information could be ascertained, the council is certain that the false claim is being peddled by mischief-makers who are bent on bringing the council to disrepute to cause confusion and panic among candidates who sat the examination.

“As a matter of fact, the marking scripts for the said examination have just been concluded, and results will be released on or before Thursday, August 4, 2025.

“The council would like to use this opportunity to inform the general public and all stakeholders that all information from the council is disseminated via our official and verified social media handles, as well as accredited media platforms across the country,” the statement noted.

In the same vein, the Federal Ministry of Education described the press statement as an outright falsehood, saying it has been drawn to a false and misleading statement circulating online, alleging the cancellation of the 2025 WASSCE exams due to widespread examination malpractice.

A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo said the ministry wishes to categorically disassociate itself from the fake news.

She clarified that the 2025 WASSCE exams have been successfully concluded, with only a few isolated incidents of malpractice reported, all of which were promptly addressed by the relevant authorities.

“The ongoing NECO Examinations are progressing smoothly, and as of this release, no cases of examination malpractice have been reported.

“The Federal Ministry of Education has not received any official communication or report from WAEC, NECO, or any examination body regarding widespread malpractice in either of the examinations.

“The Ministry, therefore, urges students, parents, school administrators, and the general public to disregard the fake press release currently in circulation. It is entirely fabricated, misleading, and intended to cause unnecessary panic and confusion.

“The public is advised to seek information only from verified and credible sources, including:

“The official website of the Federal Ministry of Education: www.education.gov.ng; the official WAEC portal: www.waecnigeria.org; the official NECO portal: www.neco.gov.ng; verified communication channels of WAEC, NECO, the Ministry, and reputable media outlets.

“The Ministry remains fully committed to upholding the integrity, credibility, and orderly conduct of all public examinations and will continue working closely with examination bodies to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

“Furthermore, anyone found spreading false information will be reported to the appropriate security agencies for investigation and prosecution,” the statement noted.
(TRIBUNE)