Wike Plans Major FCT Education Projects

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, announced on Tuesday that his administration is poised to launch a massive series of project flag-offs and commissioning within the education sector across the FCT. This initiative is set to roll out following the current focus on road infrastructure.

The Minister made the disclosure while speaking to journalists after inspecting the ongoing construction of the expressway stretching from the airport to Kuje, and continuing from Kuje onward to Gwagwalada.

He provided an update on the Kuje expressway, noting its expected completion before May of the coming year. This road project is part of a larger push to accelerate infrastructure development.

Wike confirmed the extensive nature of the planned educational interventions. “I told you that we will soon start commissioning and flagging off of projects in the school system, it’s quite huge,” he said, signaling the scale of the upcoming work.

He also emphasized the need for a brief pause before commencing the education drive, stating, “we want to take some time to rest and continue.”

The Minister framed his development agenda as a continuous, sustained effort. “Development is not a one day thing, it’s a continuous process,” he asserted, adding that his administration intends to finish any project it starts while in office.

Wike’s philosophy is to tackle critical infrastructure and then allow future administrations to build upon that foundation. “Anyone we will tackle, we will tackle to the end while we have the opportunity, when another person come; he will continue from where we have stopped,” he explained.

He lamented the perceived neglect of infrastructure in the past, suggesting that if foundational projects had been provided earlier, the FCT would be far more advanced today.

The Minister expressed confidence that the current pace of work has exceeded local expectations. “The reasons are expectant because they never thought these kind of projects would go on in their lifetime,” he remarked.

Wike strongly affirmed that the “Renewed Hope” administration is genuinely serious about transforming the lives of residents, whether they reside in the city center or in the area councils.

During his inspection, the Minister also expressed satisfaction with the progress made on the Kuje road project, which he recalled was originally awarded before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019.

He publicly promised that the road, being constructed by Arab Contractors, would be completed and handed over by June 2026 under his leadership.

“Kuje airport to Kuje, I’m impressed with the level of work being carried out by Arab Contractors,” Wike stated. “I promise that we will keep to our own agreement that by June next year, they would have handed it over.”

He acknowledged that when his administration took over, the contractor had abandoned the site. “We had to see what we can do and during our interaction with stakeholders they said we should try and see to the road, today we are happy with the level of work,” he concluded.