Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has announced plans to develop the newly completed Apo-Karshi road corridor into a major tourist attraction for Abuja.
Wike, who disclosed this after inspecting the road network on Wednesday, explained that the completion of the long-awaited project has naturally drawn public interest, transforming the difficult terrain into a scenic hotspot for residents.
“With the completion of these particular routes here, which is much awaited by the residents of this place, these places have naturally become a tourist attraction to the people,” the Minister stated.
To support the area’s emerging status as a leisure destination, Wike clarified that all development plans will be handled strictly through proper administrative channels.
He confirmed rejecting a proposal from the coordinator of the Satellite Towns Development Department, STDD, insisting that the agency must restrict its operations to road networks while the tourism department handles recreational facilities.
In his words, “Just now the coordinator of STDD just told me that they are bringing a proposal, I said no proposal, your business is to do road and you hands off. The department that is responsible for tourism will now come up with what the government will put in place, but be sure that I will make it happen as a tourist center.”
Describing the Apo-Karshi road as the most publicized road project in the FCT, the minister remarked that its engineering complexity makes the final delivery a significant feat that has surprised skeptics on social media.
“To the glory of God, I’m not a social media person, but people come and tell me what’s going on in social media and according to them they say social media is agog, and I said what is agog about it. That they couldn’t believe that this can be done, and particularly in our country, look at the topography of this place and compare it to what exists in the other developed countries,” he noted.
The infrastructure project, which was originally awarded in 2010, had faced over a decade of abandonment before the current administration intervened.
Wike revealed that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the termination of the initial contract after the indigenous contractor failed to deliver despite receiving full financial mobilization.
The presidential intervention paved the way for the project to be re-awarded to a more competent firm, SCC Nigeria Limited, given the strategic importance of the bypass to FCT residents.
“This road was awarded in 2010 to an indigenous contractor. Of course, we did all we could to persuade the contractor then to see that the job was fully implemented even though we were fully paid, but nothing was forthcoming,” Wike explained.
The Minister added that the administration remained unfazed by criticisms surrounding the cost of the re-awarded contract, focusing instead on delivering relief to commuters.
Wike said, “I remember when this contract was awarded to SCC, of course, as usual, some people were saying, ‘Oh, how can you award this contract this amount and that and that and that?’ While we’re not deterred, all we did is the happiness, the comfort of the people. And the company gave us their word and they promised by November that this job would have been completed.”
He urged Nigerians to evaluate the performance of the current administration holistically rather than focusing on isolated issues, pointing to the rapid infrastructure transformation across Abuja.
“Look at what’s going on in Abuja today, look at the level of infrastructure, look at how high it has standard to be a tourist center. I’m happy that people are happy. I’m happy that Nigerians have seen indeed the infrastructure development carried out by this tremendous administration.”
The Minister also commended the media for its consistent coverage, noting that journalists have played a vital role in helping the public understand the scale of work ongoing along the corridor.
On the official inauguration timeline, Wike said the FCT Administration is working around the President’s schedule to commission between 10 to 12 completed projects, including sites at Idu, the Southern Parkway, and Karu District.
He expressed optimism that the presidency could be persuaded to schedule the commissioning of the Apo-Karshi road before the end of November as a standalone event for the community.
