In the heart of Abuja, two long-abandoned road projects that have defined delay in the FCT for over a decade are finally moving. Ten years after they were first awarded, the Inner Southern Expressway ISEX II and sections of the Southern Parkway are no longer files in a ministry. They are sites with men, machines, and a December deadline. On an inspection tour this week, FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike said the goal is clear: close the book on inherited projects and prove that continuity, not abandonment, is the new rule in the nation’s capital, reports Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka, Our Managing Editor on Wednesday.
The Minister carried out an on-the-spot assessment of two strategic road projects in the FCT, according to a press release by Rabi Musa Umar, Deputy Director, Press, Office of the Hon. Minister. The visit was to gauge progress and reaffirm the administration’s commitment to delivery.
First stop was the Inner Southern Expressway, ISEX II. The 10-kilometre road with interchanges and bridges was first awarded in 2014. For years it sat idle, a symbol of stalled ambition.
Barr. Wike described ISEX II as the only major inherited project, aside from Apo-Karshi Road, still outstanding from previous administrations. “It is the last big one we met on the table,” he noted.
The contractor, he said, has given a firm assurance: with timely funding, the road can be completed by December 2026. Importantly, the project has already been captured in the national budget.
“We have appealed to the Minister of Finance because funding for the project is already captured in the national budget,” Wike stated. “If part of the allocation is released, the contractor will be able to meet the deadline.”
He added that discussions with the Ministry of Finance will continue. “This project is very important to us because it will significantly transform the landscape of the Federal Capital Territory.”
The Minister’s second stop was the service carriageways of the Southern Parkway, from arterial road S20 to Ring Road II. The project was flagged off during the third anniversary project commissioning.
Wike said the contractor mobilized to site immediately after the ceremony. He expressed confidence in the delivery timeline based on what he saw on ground.
“As I have said before, and I believe them, they are committed to handing over this project by December,” he said. “We will be very happy if that happens because it will open up this entire area for development.”
The timing is deliberate. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the FCT Administration has made completion of abandoned projects its hallmark, not starting new ones for optics.
With Apo-Karshi Road, awarded in 2010, and ISEX II, awarded in 2014, both slated for December completion, Wike said the administration would have delivered the last major inherited projects.
“Once we achieve that, we can confidently say that we have fulfilled our promise to complete all inherited projects awarded by previous administrations, whether from 2007, 2011, 2015 or beyond,” he stated.
The Minister framed it as a leadership test. “Some people assume office and say they will only focus on projects they initiated. That is not leadership. Good leadership is continuing projects that are vital to the development of the city.”
He linked abandoned projects directly to the image of Abuja. “Abandoned projects damage the image of the nation’s capital and slow development. Projects that transform the landscape and improve the economy must be finished.”
Wike credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to complete all inherited projects for the momentum now being recorded. “That is why people are happy with what is happening in Abuja today,” he said.
Finally, he gave contractors a commitment from his end. The FCT Administration, he reiterated, will meet its financial obligations to ensure timely delivery of all ongoing projects. For residents stuck in Abuja traffic for years, December cannot come soon enough.
