Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday declared that the modernization of cities remains the most visible and persuasive sign of a government’s seriousness and capacity for leadership.
Representing President Bola Tinubu at the commissioning of Connector Road CN-8 (Asuquo Okon) and adjoining roads in the Dakibiyu District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Shettima affirmed that infrastructure is “Renewed Hope poured into concrete and paved across kilometers.”
“There is no louder proof of a government’s seriousness than the modernization of its cities,” Shettima said, and noted that well-lit roads, flowing traffic, and functioning infrastructure reflect not just presence but purposeful leadership.
The newly completed roads link Arterial Road N-5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) in the Jabi District to Arterial Road N-1 (Olusegun Obasanjo Way) in Dakibiyu.
The Vice President described the project as “a bold signature of our commitment to urban renewal and economic revitalization.”
He also said, “For too long, inadequate infrastructure has choked the aspirations of these areas. Today, we tear down that wall. Today, we breathe life into communities long waiting to be seen, waiting to be served.”
He stressed that the significance of the project lies beyond physical transformation, which is a direct and long-term benefit to the people, from improved emergency response to increased business activity and safer school commutes.
“This is not policy for the sake of politics, but policy translated into progress,” he said, and called the initiative a practical expression of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Shettima also praised the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for his urgency and commitment to delivering high-impact projects within record time.
“We thank you and your entire team at the FCTA for this outstanding work,” he said, pledging the administration’s continued support for projects that uplift and unify the capital and the nation at large.
Shettima emphasised that the Tinubu administration is determined to ensure that development reaches every corner of the nation’s capital, including its neglected outskirts.
He said, “Our vision for Abuja is not limited to its glittering center. We are equally committed to its margins, to its hidden corners where dreams often struggle to break.”
He described the new roads as not only facilitating connectivity but restoring dignity, saying, “As we commission this road, let it be a symbol not just of connectivity but of commitment, not just of movement but of momentum,” Shettima said.
In his remarks, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike recounted how a routine inspection for the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal site exposed the appalling state of infrastructure in Dakibiyu.
The commissioning is the 14th project inaugurated in just two weeks under the current phase of infrastructure rollout in the FCT. Wike attributed this to the direct support of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima.
Wike while appreciating the residents said, “We want to sincerely thank you for waiting since morning, despite the weather. It did not stop you from coming. That means a lot.”