The original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory will, on Saturday, December 13, 2025, honour the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, with the Nigeria Infrastructure Minister of the Year Award.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Secretary-General of the Karu Gbagyi Development Association, Samuel Aye, the award recognises Wike’s contributions to the development of outer city districts and satellite towns in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Karu, the hometown of former federal lawmaker Senator Tanimu Aduda, described Wike as a development-focused minister who has “written his name in the annals of good governance” since his appointment by President Bola Tinubu in 2023.

The statement read in part, “FCT indigenes had never witnessed huge infrastructure developments all at once in outer city districts and satellite towns like those currently being undertaken under the administration of the current minister and President Bola Tinubu.

“Minister Wike is to be conferred with the award on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at a grand reception in his honour and that of other awardees at the Jummai Aduda Townhall in Karu District, Abuja.

“The event will also feature a public lecture on the FCT 2026 elections to be delivered by Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Gambia, Amb. Ayuba Ngbako, including a scholarship award for indigent persons and an Empowerment Scheme for Karu Chiefdom residents.

“We want to honour the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for the great infrastructure projects delivered to our community, including the completed rehabilitation of the Nyanya-Karu-Jikwoyi-Karshi Highway, which is currently easing traffic in Karu Chiefdom, the completed Kugbo Bus Terminal, Kugbo International Market, and the award of contracts for the reconstruction of Karu township roads.”

Other projects being executed by the FCT Minister, according to the statement, include the Karu Water Supply (Lot 2), a major FCT Administration initiative launched in August 2025 to expand clean water access in Karu, Kurudu, Jikwoyi, and nearby communities.

“This project involves the laying of 194 km of pipes to provide potable water to hundreds of thousands of residents, reduce waterborne diseases, boost public health, and support development,” the statement added.

The Karu indigenes also commended Wike for his relationship with Senator Aduda and the appointment of their son-in-law, Richard Dauda, as Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority.

“Through your efforts, our son-in-law, Engr. Richard Dauda, has also been appointed as the current Executive Secretary of the FCDA.

“Our elder brother and former lawmaker, Sen. Philip Aduda, enjoys your goodwill and that of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration,” the statement added.

Aye further noted: “The decision by Minister Wike to terminate the long-running Apo–Karshi road contract and award it to a more competent construction firm to end years of delays and deliver relief to residents got the Abuja indigenes excited.”

He pledged the people’s readiness to support the FCT administration under the stewardship of the former Rivers State governor.

Meanwhile, the association has appealed to the Minister to intervene over the non-appointment of any FCT indigene as a career or non-career ambassador, noting that the people were missing out on several federal appointments, including positions on the board of the North Central Development Commission.

Wike has received wide commendation for transforming Abuja and its environs into a construction hub, with all six Area Councils undergoing road construction, expansion, and rehabilitation. (The PUNCH)

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