I ordered Wike to build roads before asking Nigerians to move to Renewed Hope Estate – Tinubu

…And he did it, declares the president

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday disclosed that he had directed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, to provide roads and other engineering infrastructure to the 3,112-unit Renewed Hope City in Karsana before residents could occupy the property, and that the minister wasted no time in implementing the directive.

The President, represented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made the disclosure while commissioning the 10.5 kilometer access roads to Renewed Hope towns and estates in Karsana West District, Abuja.

He said the completion of the road network fulfilled the directive he gave during the initial phase of the housing project, stressing that no housing development could function without access roads and supporting infrastructure.

“When I did the groundbreaking for the 3,112-unit Renewed Hope City here in Karsana, I gave a clear directive: provide the roads, provide the engineering infrastructure and unlock this precinct for development. Accessless housing is a project without a building.

“For too long, Abuja’s story has been one of ‘contracts awarded and then abandoned’. Today, we are putting an end to that story with roads that open, not roads that block,” he said.

Tinubu said he specifically instructed Wike to open the district immediately “because public servants, families and investors cannot live in houses they cannot reach.”

He said: “I have given this assignment to a minister who regards deadlines as duties. I told the Honorable Minister of the FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, WITHthat public employees, families and investors cannot live in homes they cannot reach. “Open Karsana, and open it now.” He took the brief, set the pace and delivered.

“When urgency meets quality, results come. That’s what you’re standing on today.”

The President said the recently completed arterial roads N11, N16, N40 and Special Important Local Street 03 have connected Karsana West to the Outer Northern Expressway, making thousands of affordable housing units accessible, livable and safe.

He commended Wike for what he described as the “visible transformation” of the Federal Capital Territory, saying the minister has transformed stalled projects into completed infrastructure.

“You have taken blocked corridors and made them active corridors. You have brought the same urgency to Karsana that you have brought to other districts and zonal councils. Measure contractors by results, not promises. Minister, you have earned my trust and you have my praise,” Tinubu added.

He also commended the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, engineers and FCT administration officials for ensuring that the project was completed on time and according to specifications.

The President also commended Lubrik Construction Company for delivering the project after it was awarded the contract in February 2025, assuring contractors that his administration would continue to honor timely payment for works delivered on time and according to specifications.

Wike had earlier recalled that Karsana was inaccessible when Tinubu performed the groundbreaking of the Renewed Hope Estate in 2024.

“For those of us who were here that day, I was imagining how someone would come to live in this area because there were no roads,” he said.

The minister revealed that developers have expressed fears that their investments will become useless without access roads, but assured that the government will intervene.

‘I told them it is Renewed Hope. Go home and sleep. We have to build a road in this Karsana district.’ Today is a different story,” he said.

Wike said the project was possible because the Federal Government ensured timely payment, while the contractor fulfilled its obligation by delivering on time.

He also revealed that the FCT administration will, on Wednesday, next week, stop the construction of Kaba-Kagini – Zaudna road following recent demand from residents over its deplorable condition.

In her remarks, FCT Minister of State, Mariya Mahmoud, described the project as “another milestone” in the implementation of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She said the roads would boost economic activities, improve connectivity and expand access to affordable housing across the territory.