ยท Gets N100bn of N300bn
By Angela MUREY
A chunk of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA’s, interventions to the six area councils may have gone to Bwari area council, as the council is estimated to have gulped about 30 percent of interventions made in 2024.
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, disclosed that the Tinubu-led federal government has spent more than N89.2 billion on road infrastructure, renovation and rehabilitation of schools in the area council.
The Abuja Inquirer, it would be recalled, last Wednesday reported that the FCT administration had committed over N300billion to the infrastructural development of the six area councils including the construction of roads, building of police stations, and the rehabilitation of schools and hospitals in the councils.
The minister, who dropped the hint during the commissioning of the 9km Paikon KoreโIbwa road in Gwagwalada Area Council, revealed that Gwagwalada got the least intervention of about N50 billion expended on the Paikon Kore-Ibwa road, the ongoing Aguma Palace-Market road-FRCN road, as well as the rehabilitation of the FCT School for the Gifted.
He disclosed that the sum of N8.5 billion was expended on the Paikon Kore-Ibwa road alone, while N22 billion is being committed to the ongoing Aguma Palace-Market road-FRCN road, all in Gwagwalada Area Council.
โNow, if you add the total value of what Mr. President has committed to Gwagwalada alone, you are talking about over N50 billion for one area council.
โNow, if you add the six area councils, just take this as the base because this is the least of all the area councils. So, you will see that in a year, Mr. President has committed to the development of satellite towns, not less than N300 billion.โ
Speaking on the substantial investments made in Bwari area council alone, the minister revealed that N7 billion was expended on the 5 kilometre Gaba-Tokulo road and another N27 billion was spent on the rehabilitation of the Dutse to Bwari road.
The minister, who was in Bwari on Friday to commission the Gaba-Tokulo road, said another N28 billion was spent on the ongoing dualisation of Ushafa to War College Road and N27 billion on rehabilitation the Government Girls Secondary School, Dutse, Government Secondary School, GSS, Bwari, GSS Dei Dei, GSS Kubwa, and GSS Jibi. The amount also captured the newly constructed GSS Ushafa.
In his words, โThis Gaba-Tokulo road cost us not less than N7 billion. From Dutse coming to this area in Bwari, you see the total rehabilitation of the entire road, which has cost us not less than 27 billion. This is for this area council.
โThe entire Ushafa, War College and all the roads in Ushafa have cost us not less than 28 billion Naira. Now, if you calculate for just road infrastructure for Bwari Area Council alone, it has taken 62.2 billion Naira.
โNow, in terms of education, the government just renovated the Government Secondary School, GSS, Dutse, Government Secondary School Bwari, Government Secondary School Ushafa, which is a new one, GSS Deidei, GSS Kubwa, and GSS Jibi.
โAll these schools have cost us not less than 27 billion. Now, if you add N27 billion to N62 billion, you’re almost getting to N100 billion for one area council,โ the minister explained.
In addition, Wike promised the residents that the Gaba-Tokulo road would be extended to Kawu, a border community with Kaduna State, as requested by Council Chairman John Gabaya.
He then directed the coordinator of the satellite townsโ development department, Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, to capture the road extension in the FCT 2025 budget.
Wike said that the residents also asked for police stations, adding that the two police divisional offices under construction would be ready in May to enhance security in the area.
