Our Managing Editor, Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, reports on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s flag-off of Collector Road CO1 in the Institution and Research District of the Federal Capital Territory. For months, we have tracked the pace of project delivery under FCT Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike as the administration marks three years in office. Excerpts from Tuesday’s ceremony, June 23, 2026, based on a press release from Rabi Musa Umar, Deputy Director, Press, Office of the Minister, follow.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday flagged off construction of Collector Road CO1 in the Institution and Research District of the FCT. The road is designed to link premier academic, legal and research institutions to Abuja’s wider transport network.
The ceremony marked another project under the administration’s three-year anniversary activities. FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has been inviting the President to commission completed projects and flag off new ones across the capital.
Speaking at the event, President Tinubu described the road, which spans from the Nile University area to Ring Road III, as a critical connection between learning, law and the future of the nation’s capital. He said infrastructure must create continuity, not isolated segments.
He noted that the first phase of the corridor, linking the Body of Benchers, Nile University and Baze University, is completed and ready for commissioning. The new phase will extend that loop to Ring Road III and complete the original plan for the district.
“That is how we build a city with a plan, not a city of abandoned pieces. Infrastructure must be continuous if it must be useful,” the President said, stressing the importance of connecting projects for real impact.
Tinubu explained that the Institution and Research District was conceived as Abuja’s intellectual heart, with growing universities, law chambers and innovation hubs. Collector Road CO1, he added, will cut travel time, ease congestion and boost education and enterprise.
He charged contractors and engineers to deliver with speed and uncompromising quality. He specifically urged them to employ Nigerian youths and artisans, saying infrastructure becomes national wealth when it transfers skills locally.
The President appealed to students, staff and management of Nile University, Baze University and the Body of Benchers to endure temporary traffic disruptions. He said short-term discomfort would guarantee decades of access, safety and dignity.
Tinubu praised FCT Minister Barr. Nyesom Wike, CON, for unmatched energy and for turning the FCTA into a delivery agency. He called “Mr. Projects” a record, not a slogan, citing revived roads, new interchanges and development in satellite towns.
The President also commended Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud and the entire FCTA and FCDA management for working as a cohesive team. He said their coordination ensures modern projects stand the test of time.
FCT Minister Wike revealed that Collector Road CO1 was prioritized after the Chairman of the Body of Benchers complained of severe traffic during the last Call to Bar ceremony. The FCTA stepped in to ease movement for students and legal practitioners.
Wike gave a delivery timeline, saying lead contractor China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, assured completion by January 2027. He promised the FCTA would make timely payments to match the contractor’s pace.
He cited CCECC’s recent delivery of Bill Clinton Road in Tungan Madaki within seven to eight months as proof of reliability. He also assured residents that elections would not slow governance or cause project abandonment.
Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, represented by Head of FCTA Civil Service Nancy Sabanti Nathan, thanked President Tinubu and the National Assembly for support and resources. Acting FCDA Executive Secretary Engr Richard Yunana Dauda gave technical details: about 6km of CO1, dualization from Baze Junction to Nile University, kerbs, drainage, box and pipe culverts, two bridges, walkways and street lighting.
CCECC Executive Director Mr. Henry Shao pledged to deliver to standard and on time, working with FCDA, host communities and stakeholders. With that commitment, Abuja’s Institution District appears set to get the road network it was planned for, three years into the Renewed Hope administration.
