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Toyin Adebayo
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday declared that the era of neglect of satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ended, unveiling a major water supply network to Karu and adjoining communities as part of efforts to extend critical infrastructure beyond Abuja’s city centre.
Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the commissioning of the Water Supply Network to Karu Satellite Town and Environs in Kurudu Community along the Karu-Karshi Road, said the project fulfilled a key promise of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to ensure that development reaches underserved communities.
“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,” the President said.
He stated that the project was conceived following a directive he gave during the commissioning of the Greater Abuja Water Supply Project, insisting that infrastructure development should not be restricted to elite districts while residents of satellite communities continue to struggle for basic amenities.
“When we launched the Renewed Hope Agenda, we made a sacred covenant with the Nigerian people. We promised that governance would no longer be a theoretical exercise confined to the boardrooms of the city centres while our people in the periphery thirsted for basic amenities.
“We promised a government that listens, a government that plans and, crucially, a government that delivers,” he said.
Tinubu disclosed that the administration approved funding for the project without bureaucratic delays, enabling contractors, CGC Nigeria Limited, to complete the work ahead of schedule.
According to him, the project comprises more than 194 kilometres of secondary and tertiary pipeline networks designed to deliver treated and potable water directly to residents of Karu, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and surrounding communities.
“Because we paid on time, the contractors worked on time. Today, ahead of schedule, we are commissioning over 194 kilometres of pipeline networks bringing safe and potable water directly to the doorsteps of our people,” he said.
The President described access to clean water as essential to public health, dignity and economic development, noting that residents of Karu had for decades depended on boreholes and water vendors despite the area’s rapid population growth.
In a glowing tribute to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Tinubu said the scale of infrastructure delivery across Abuja reflected what could be achieved when vision is matched with effective execution.
“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 water infrastructure is a testament to what happens when vision meets executive capacity. Thank you, Mr Project, for your leadership,” he said.
Tinubu also assured residents that similar interventions would be replicated in Bwari and other Area Councils as part of a broader strategy to integrate satellite communities into the development agenda of the Federal Capital Territory.
Earlier, FCT Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike said the project was executed in response to Tinubu’s directive that infrastructure development should extend beyond the city centre to communities that have historically suffered from inadequate public services.
Wike expressed appreciation to the President for supporting people-centred projects across the territory, stressing that the FCT Administration remained committed to improving the living conditions of residents through strategic investments in infrastructure.
Also speaking, Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud said the project represented the fulfilment of a long-standing aspiration of the people and a practical demonstration of the Renewed Hope Agenda in action.
According to her, the water scheme will improve public health, strengthen sanitation, support economic activities and reduce the burden faced by families who have endured years of inadequate access to potable water.
Providing an overview of the project, Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Richard Dauda, said the scheme utilised an existing reservoir and connected more than 1,000 distribution lines to serve Karu and neighbouring communities.
He noted that the project was conceived to address persistent water shortages in one of Abuja’s fastest-growing urban corridors and would significantly reduce dependence on unsafe water sources and costly commercial vendors.
For residents of Karu, Jikwoyi, Kurudu and adjoining communities, the commissioning marks the first major expansion of municipal water infrastructure into the area in decades, signalling what the Federal Government says is a new phase of inclusive development for Abuja’s satellite towns.
