Era Of Neglecting Satellite Towns In FCT Over, Says Tinubu

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…Names Ogundipe As NUC Chairman

ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu has said that the era of neglecting suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is over under his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the Renewed Hope Agenda is his administration’s sacred covenant with the Nige­rian people, recalling that he had promised that governance would no longer be a theoretical exercise confined to the board­rooms of city centres while res­idents in the periphery thirsted for basic amenities.

He spoke on Monday at Ku­rudu, Abuja, when he officially commissioned the massive Water Supply Network linking Karu, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and other adjourning satellite towns.

The president, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said he “promised a government that listens, a government that plans, and, crucially, a government that delivers.”

He expressed a deep sense of fulfilment and gratitude to God, noting that the massive Water Supply Network is a fulfilment of that promise.

“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,” he stated.

President Tinubu recalled that just about a year ago, when his administration commis­sioned the Greater Abuja Water Supply Project, he stood before the nation and gave a clear di­rective.

“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’s working-class population truly resides,” he recalled.

He said when the FCT Min­ister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, brought the proposal for the Karu Water Supply Project, he did not hesitate, adding that his administration knew that water is life, and that denying people clean water amounts to deny­ing them health, dignity, and economic progress.

To demonstrate the admin­istration’s unwavering com­mitment, the president said the government did not allow the traditional shackles of bureau­cratic delay to obstruct funding, as payments were approved on time and the contractor, CGC Nigeria Limited, delivered promptly.

“And today, we are commis­sioning 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 stated.

President Tinubu commend­ed the FCT minister for deliver­ing, stressing that leadership is not measured by the eloquence of television commentary or the bitterness of empty rhetoric, but by its tangible and verifiable impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, 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 Projects,’ for your leadership,” he said.

The Nigerian leader regret­ted that for decades, while res­idents of Karu watched their community grow into a thriving and teeming population, they were left to depend on unsafe boreholes and water vendors.

He added, however, that previous administrations left promises in their wake, even as he said his administration “does not trade in promises” but results.

Charging the people of Karu, Jikwoyi and other surrounding communities on infrastructure maintenance, the president said, “This infrastructure belongs to you. It was built with your com­monwealth and designed for your well-being.

“I therefore urge you to safe­guard these installations against vandalism and illegal connec­tions. Do not look the other way if unscrupulous elements try to compromise what has taken years of effort and resources to deliver. Treat this water as the precious resource that it is.”

President Tinubu announced that the government was rep­licating the interventions in Bwari and other area councils, even as he assured residents that the government’s commitment to urban renewal and rural inte­gration remains absolute.

Earlier, the FCT Minister, Wike, said the FCT Administra­tion was immensely grateful to the president for the support he has given for the execution of people-oriented projects across the nation’s capital, including the satellite towns.

He said the completion of the water project was part of the presidential directive for the FCT Administration to extend the provision of critical infra­structure to the satellite towns across the capital territory.

The minister also reiterated the commitment of the Tinubu administration through the FCT management, in delivering proj­ects and programmes that will uplift the lives and livelihoods of residents of the territory.

On her part, the Minister of State, FCT, Dr. Mariya Bunkure, thanked the president and the vice president for his untiring efforts in supporting the work of transforming the infrastructure landscape in the FCT and beyond.

In an overview of the proj­ect, the Executive Secretary of FCDA, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda, said the FCT Adminis­tration had the wellbeing and interest of the residents of Karu and environs at the conception of the water project, which uti­lised the existing reservoir in the area, while the distribution facilities connect over 1,000 dis­tribution lines to service the satellite town and adjourning communities.

He thanked President Tinu­bu for the support in the comple­tion of the project which, accord­ing to him, marks a significant advancement in the provision of potable water to Karu, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and adjourning com­munities in the area.

Tinubu Names Ogundipe NUC Chairman

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, announced the appointment of Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe as chairman of the governing board of the National Universi­ties Commission (NUC).

The appointment was con­firmed in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The statement noted that Prof. Ogundipe succeeds Emer­itus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned his appoint­ment after less than one year in office.

It would be recalled that President Tinubu appointed Professor Aina in July, last year, and the board members were inaugurated in November 2025.

Professor Ogundipe, former Vice-Chancellor of the Universi­ty of Lagos (2017–2022), is a pro­fessor of Botany with expertise in molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany, and ecological conservation.

He holds a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo Uni­versity and an MBA from the University of Lagos.

Currently, Professor Ogun­dipe, 66, serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

He is a fellow of several pro­fessional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology, London. He has also served as President of the Botanical So­ciety of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Re­search and Innovation Council (LASRIC).

The presidency also stated that as NUC Chairman, Ogun­dipe will oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system, focusing on funding, global competitiveness and ac­ademic stability.

“The president expects Ogun­dipe to provide visionary lead­ership at the NUC and sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system, in align­ment with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, by ad­vancing quality, access, and in­tegrity in the education sector,” Onanuga added.