FCTA PRESS RELEASE
In continuation of efforts to provide clean and potable water to residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the FCT Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has flagged off Lot 2: Karu water supply project within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony on Thursday, August 21, 2025, the FCT Minister said the project, which includes the installation of a 194-kilometre network of water pipelines, directly fulfils President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promise to extend essential infrastructure, particularly clean drinking water, to FCT satellite towns.
The Minister emphasised the administration’s commitment to this goal, noting that similar projects were already underway in Bwari, with plans to extend to Kuje, Gwagwalada, Kwali and Abaji before the end of the President’s first term in office.
He described the project as a fundamental need for the people and a priority for President Tinubu, who has already approved the disbursement of 50 per cent of the contract sum to ensure its timely completion.
The Minister said, “This is one of the promises made by Mr. President when he commissioned the Greater Abuja Water Supply Scheme in June. He said he was also going to do this in the satellite towns, and we have started with the Bwari Area Council and AMAC.
“By the grace of God, by next year we will get to Kuje and Gwagwalada and, before Mr. President completes his first tenure, we will have gotten down to Kwali and Abaji. So, Mr. President would have fulfilled the promises he made in providing potable, clean water to satellite towns”.
Barr. Wike appealed to community leaders and youth to support the contractor, China Geoengineering Construction (CGC), who, he said, has committed to completing the project by June 2026. He highlighted the health benefits of treated water, saying, “You will no longer depend on digging your own borehole, drinking water that is not treated. Now you are going to drink water that is going to give you good health”.
The FCT Minister, who stressed the commitment of the current administration to the development of the FCT satellite towns, further noted other key infrastructure initiatives in the region, including the recent rehabilitation of a 17-kilometre access road connecting Karu, Jikwoyi, Orozo, Kurudu, and Karshi and pledged to reconstruct a two-kilometre road within the Karu site area.
“Because we did not commission this road, many of you have forgotten that this 17 km road from Karu to Karshi was not passable. We did it. Now again, we are here to provide water for Karu, Orozo, Kurudu and other neighbouring communities”, the Minister said.
He noted that previous administrations had occupied office for more than a decade without making much impact on the satellite communities and urged the residents to align with those with a track record of performance, citing the achievements of Senator Aduda and the AMAC Chairman, Christopher Maikalangu.
He said, “Don’t listen to those who will come with promises. They had all the opportunities, and they couldn’t do it. It is late now. We have an opportunity and we have come to do it. Support those who have the capacity to bring something to the people. Don’t support those who go on television to talk with nothing to show”, the Minister stressed.
Earlier in her vote of thanks, the Minister of State, FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud described the Karu water project as the beginning of a new chapter of hope, health and prosperity, stressing that the project is not just about the provision of water but also a symbol of progress. She called for the safeguarding of water infrastructure for the present and future generations.
Dr Mahmoud praised the Renewed Hope Agenda and thanked President Tinubu for his unwavering support for the FCT Administration, while also extending appreciation to the FCT Minister, the Area Council Chairmen and other stakeholders for their dedication and commitment to the development of the FCT.
Providing an overview of the Lot 2 Karu water project, the Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda, explained that the construction and expansion of water supply in FCT satellite towns is a strategic infrastructure initiative that aligns with the FCT regional Masterplan, which provides for the concurrent development of both the Federal Capital City and its satellite towns.
Engr. Dauda noted that the Karu water project is an extension of the recently commissioned Greater Abuja Water Supply Project with a similar initiative recently embarked upon in Bwari, with provisions for other satellite towns to be addressed in due course.
He said the project, which is slated for completion next year, will establish the essential secondary and tertiary distribution network for the effective supply of water to the large population of Karu town and its environs.
The Executive Secretary also emphasized the broader benefits of the project, stressing that it will create both direct and indirect employment opportunities during the construction phase, stressing that the project, once completed, will provide safe, potable water to the residents of Karu, Kurudu, Jikwoyi, Orozo, and other surrounding communities under the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
In his commitment note, the Deputy Managing Director, CGC Nigeria Limited (the contractor handling the project), Lv Haiming, appreciated the FCT Minister’s commitment to the development of the FCT while describing the Karu Water project as a people project designed to take care of the water needs of the teeming population in Karu. He assured that the project would be executed without delay, adding that when completed, residents will enjoy clean portable water.
