Tinubu commissions Bwari water project, pledges development in all FCT satellite towns

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday commissioned the Bwari Township Water Supply Network Project, declaring that his administration will extend potable water to all satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part efforts to decentralise development and improve living conditions in communities.

Tinubu described access to clean water as a fundamental right and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that infrastructure development reaches every part of the nation’s capital.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a slogan. It is a contract. It is a deliberate, calculated, and unyielding commitment to governance that works for the people,” said the president who was represented by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

He noted that previous administrations had concentrated development in Abuja’s city centre while satellite communities remained neglected, stressing that his government had resolved to change the narrative.

“For too long, the narrative of Abuja has been a tale of two cities a glittering centre surrounded by underserved communities. We said no. That era is gone. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and development must be decentralised,” he stated.

Tinubu said the newly completed 198-kilometre water pipeline network, constructed by China Geo-engineering Construction (CGC) Limited, would provide potable water to Bwari, Ushafa, and surrounding communities by linking them directly to the Lower Usuma Dam treated water source.

Tinubu recalled that after reviewing the proposal submitted by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, he immediately approved the project to address years of dependence on untreated boreholes and streams.

“I gave him a direct order: ‘Go out there, mobilise the best, and fix it.’ Today, we are commissioning this massive, state-of-the-art 198-kilometre water pipeline network,” Tinubu said.

Tinubu added that the project would improve public health by reducing waterborne diseases, eliminate the costly reliance on private boreholes, and create new economic opportunities.

Tinubu disclosed that more than 1,600 direct and indirect jobs were created during the execution of the project, assuring residents that the water expansion programme would continue across the FCT.

“Last year, it was the Lower Usuma Dam Phase II rehabilitation; last month, it was the Karu water network; today it is Bwari. Before our tenure is through, this water revolution will fully cover Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Abaji,” he pledged.

The president also commended Wike for accelerating infrastructure delivery across the territory, describing him as “Mr. Project.”

Tinubu urged residents of Bwari to protect the facility from vandalism, stressing that it was built with public funds for the benefit of the people.

Earlier, Wike said the project fulfilled Tinubu’s directive that modern water infrastructure should be extended beyond Abuja’s city centre to satellite towns.

According to him, the Bwari project is the third major water intervention completed under the current administration after the rehabilitation of the Abuja city water system and the recently commissioned Karu satellite town water project.

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“Since Mr. President came into office in 2023, he has provided water for the city centre, water for Karu and neighbouring communities, and today, water for Bwari. Let people know that we are not concentrating only on roads; we are making sure other sectors are also being touched,” Wike said.

Wike disclosed that the administration had now officially commissioned 50 major projects since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 and announced plans to inaugurate another 10 projects before the commencement of election campaigns in 2027.

He attributed the pace of development in the FCT to the president’s support, saying: “You can be a minister, but without the support of the president, it is difficult to perform.

“Mr. President has given the FCT all the support required to change the narrative, and we will not disappoint him.”

Also speaking, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the Bwari Water Supply Network as another milestone in the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

She said the project would improve access to safe drinking water, enhance public health and restore confidence in government while reaffirming the administration’s commitment to expanding people-centred infrastructure across the FCT.

On his part, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Richard Dauda, said the project, originally scheduled for completion in December, had been substantially completed ahead of schedule.

He noted that, beyond providing potable water to Bwari and neighbouring communities, the project generated significant employment opportunities during construction and would improve the health and well-being of residents through reliable access to safe drinking water.