By PHILIP YATAI

President Bola Tinubu said on Monday that the era of neglect for satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was over.

Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the declaration in Abuja, while inaugurating the newly constructed Karu Water Supply Network.

Tinubu said that for decades, the residents of Karu grew into a thriving, teeming population, yet were left to depend on unsafe boreholes and water vendors.

He added that previous administrations came and went, leaving promises in their wake, “but my administration does not trade in promises; we trade in results.

“We are here, not just to cut a ribbon, but to breathe life into a fundamental human right that has eluded this bustling community for far too long.

“Today, we declare that the era of neglect for our satellite towns is officially over,” Tinubu said.

He recalled that when his administration inaugurated the Renewed Hope Agenda, it made a sacred covenant with Nigerians that governance would no longer be a theoretical exercise confined to the boardrooms of the city centers while people in the periphery thirst for basic amenities.

He added that his administration also promised a government that listens, a government that plans, and crucially, a government that delivers.

“Just a year ago, when we commissioned the Greater Abuja Water Supply project, I stood before the nation and gave a strict directive.

“I said the metropolitan loops must not end in the elite districts, they must stretch, they must expand into our satellite towns where the heartbeat of Abuja working-class population truly resides.

“When the Minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike brought the proposal for the Karu water supply project, we did not hesitate.

“We know that water is life, and denying our people clean water is denying them health, dignity, and economic progress.

“To show our unwavering commitment, we did not allow the traditional shackles of bureaucratic delay to obstruct its funding.

“Because we paid on time, the contractor, CGC Nigeria Ltd, worked on time.

“And today, we are inaugurating over 194 kilometres of secondary and tertiary pipeline networks, bringing treated, safe, and potable water directly to the doorsteps of Karu, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Kurudu, and surrounding communities,” he said.

Tinubu commended Wike for his exemplary leadership, saying “leadership is not measured by the eloquence of television commentary or the bitterness of empty rhetoric. Leadership is measured by tangible, verifiable impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

“What we are witnessing in the FCT today—across transport, healthcare, education, housing, roads, and now massive water infrastructure—is a testament to what happens when vision meets executive capacity.

“Thank you, Mr Project, for your leadership,” he said.

The President further said: “As we mark the third anniversary of this administration and celebrate the historic 50th Anniversary of the creation of the FCT, let this project serve as a blueprint for what is to come.

“We are replicating these interventions in Bwari and other area councils.”

He assured residents of the FCT, and Nigerians that his administration would continue to reform, build, and would continue to ensure that the wealth of the nation trickles down to the people who need it most.

In his remarks, Wike said that the project was the outcome of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with CGC, in China in 2024, to provide water supply in the satellite towns.

He commended Tinubu for making budgetary allocation for water supply to satellite towns of Karu and neighbouring communities, and Bwari Area Council, which is also ready for inauguration.

“Today, in less than one year, you have come back to inaugurate the water project,” he said.

The minister pointed out that beyond providing infrastructure in the city, and roads in the city and satellite town, the Tinubu’s administration was also providing water, a critical amenity to FCT residents.

According to him, Karu is transcending from a satellite town to an urban centre following the massive road construction, water supply and other facilities being provided by the Tinubu-led administration.

Earlier, Mr Richard Dauda, acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, said that the contract for the construction and expansion of water supply in Karu satellite town was awarded in August 2023

Dauda said that the project utilises the existing Karu reservoir tank as the source of this potable water and extends it to other areas that were previously underserved, including Nyanya, Jikwoyi Kurudu and other communities. (NAN)

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