Adamu Abdullahi
Indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the auspices of the Karu Gbagyi Development Association (KAGBADA), have presented the Nigeria Infrastructure Minister of the Year Award to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in recognition of his infrastructural achievements in Abuja’s satellite towns.
The award was presented at the Jummai Aduda Youth Centre, Karu, over the weekend.
Speaking at the event, KAGBADA Chairman, Mr Sumner Shagari Sambo, said the honour was in recognition of the minister’s transformative infrastructure projects across outer-city districts and satellite towns of the FCT.
He commended Wike for initiating and executing viable infrastructure development projects in areas previously neglected, noting that FCT indigenes had never witnessed such large-scale infrastructural development simultaneously in satellite towns.
“FCT indigenes have never witnessed massive infrastructure development across outer-city districts and satellite towns like what is currently being undertaken under the administration of the current minister and President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
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Sambo explained that the association decided to honour the minister primarily for extending major infrastructure projects to Karu and its environs, including the completed rehabilitation of the Nyanya-Karu-Jikwoyi-Karshi Highway, which has significantly eased traffic in the Karu Chiefdom, the completed Kugbo Bus Terminal, Kugbo International Market, and other notable projects.
The association also used the occasion to disburse ₦4 million in scholarships to indigent students in secondary and tertiary institutions, as well as ₦3 million to women petty traders, aimed at empowering them economically and promoting self-reliance.
Sambo said the initiatives were part of the association’s end-of-year 2024 activities, adding that KAGBADA had designed three programmes covering scholarships, women’s empowerment, and support for artisans.
“We cannot continue to depend solely on the government. This is our way of giving back to society,” he stated.
The KAGBADA chairman further appealed to the FCT Administration to relocate the Karu abattoir, which he described as a serious health hazard to residents due to its location and unhygienic condition.
“The abattoir is situated in the middle of the community and poses serious health risks to residents,” he said.
He also urged the FCT Administration to upgrade the Karu General Hospital, built in 2006 during the tenure of former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, noting that the facility has remained largely non-functional.
According to him, residents are often forced to seek medical care at Asokoro and Maitama General Hospitals.
In his remarks, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Chris Amadi, expressed appreciation to the association for recognising his efforts and honouring him with the award.
He thanked the people and leadership of Karu for their support and assured them of continued infrastructural development to improve their living conditions.
Also speaking, former Senate Minority Leader of the 9th Assembly, Senator Philip Aduda, stressed the importance of unity among indigenous people and other residents of Karu, noting that societal development thrives when people live together in unity regardless of tribe, religion, or ethnic affiliation.
