President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, commissioned the Southern Parkway road in Abuja, a project awarded 13 years ago. He showered encomium on the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, for the improvement of infrastructure in the nation’s capital.
The President, commissioning Southern Parkway, named “Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way,” described Wike as a team leader and ‘Mr project’, and commended him for giving Abuja residents hope through sincere projects in the territory.
Tinubu said: “Barrister Nyesom Wike, Mr Project, thank you for giving us this and for your sincere commitment to shared values. Your revolutionary vision is inspiring many and yielding remarkable results in the FCT.”
He described infrastructure as an enabler of jobs and prosperity for people, which, he said, if not for Wike, the projects would have been abandoned. Tinubu highlighted the significance of the project, which had been dormant for 13 years before Wike’s intervention.
He said: “The Southern Parkway not only connects vital areas within the FCT but also symbolises our collective aspirations for connectivity, ease of livelihood, and progress.
“This road will enhance mobility, ease traffic congestion, and spur economic development for residents and visitors alike. The completion of the Southern Parkway underscores our commitment to inclusive and sustainable development, as we strive to build a world-class capital city. We recognise the fact that infrastructure is an enabler of jobs, economic development and prosperity. We believe we are going to achieve all of that.”
In his remarks, Wike said the Southern Parkway was one of the principal arteries conceived and planned as a freeway to provide access and connectivity to the southern development flank of the city as provided in the Abuja master plan.
According to him, the other principal artery is the Northern Parkway, which has been substantially developed over the years to service the northern districts.
“Southern Parkway at par with the Northern Parkway, was awarded in December 2010 to Messrs Setraco Nig. Ltd. at the contract sum of N16,234,553,335.64.
“Later it was revised to N35,757,763,310.18 in March 2021 due to changes in scope and other economic indices.
“The scope of work comprised the construction of 5.4km length of the road – made up of 2 main carriageways of 4 lanes each and 2 service carriageways of 2 lanes each, making a total of 12 lanes. It also includes the construction of four interchanges (a total of eight bridges) in addition to the provision of associated underground engineering infrastructure facilities.”
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