Apo-Karshi road to become Abuja tourist attraction – Wike

By Omeiza Ajayi ABUJA — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the Apo-Karshi road, a project awarded in 2010 but abandoned for years, will be developed into a tourist attraction in Abuja. Wike spoke on Wednesday during an inspection of the completed road in the nation’s capital. He attributed the completion of the project to President Bola Tinubu’s intervention, saying the President ordered the termination of the original contract after the contractor failed to deliver despite receiving full payment.

“This road was awarded in 2010 to an indigenous contractor. We did all we could to persuade the contractor to ensure that the job was fully implemented, even though we had fully paid. But the contractor was not forthcoming,” he said. According to the minister, the matter was brought to Tinubu’s attention, following which the President directed that the contract be terminated and re-awarded to a more competent company.

Wike said the decision was informed by the strategic importance of the road to residents and the overall development of the FCT. He added that the administration was not deterred by criticism over the cost of the new contract. “When this contract was awarded, some people were asking how we could award it at that amount. But we were not deterred. All we were concerned about was the happiness and comfort of the people,” he said.

Wike described the road as one of the most publicised projects undertaken by the Satellite Towns Development Authority (STDA), noting that the difficult terrain made its completion a remarkable engineering achievement. He said reactions on social media showed that many Nigerians were surprised that a project of such scale and engineering complexity could be delivered in the country.

The minister also acknowledged journalists for drawing public attention to the project, saying their reports had helped Nigerians appreciate the scale of work carried out on the road. He urged Nigerians to assess the Tinubu administration’s performance holistically rather than judging it based on isolated issues. “Look at what is going on in Abuja today, the level of infrastructure and how it has turned out to be a tourist centre.

I am happy that people are happy and that Nigerians have seen the infrastructure development being carried out by the Tinubu administration,” he said. On the commissioning of the road, Wike said the FCT Administration was working around the President’s schedule, as several other projects were also being lined up for inauguration. He expressed hope that Tinubu would inaugurate the Apo-Karshi road before the end of November, adding that efforts would be made to secure a place for the project in the President’s schedule.

On plans for public facilities around the road, the minister said the administration would develop appropriate amenities in collaboration with relevant departments.