1. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Ezenwo Wike – CON, GSSRS has disclosed that the project for the construction of the Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX) would be completed by December of 2024.
2. The FCT Minister made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday, January 29, 2024, when he visited the project sites of the Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX), a 13km stretch of road from the Southern Parkway around the Christian Centre and CBN in the Central Business District to the Galadimawa Interchange.
3. Barr. Wike, who described the road project as very ambitious and capable of changing the landscape of the city, assured that it would be completed with adequate funding.
4. The Minister also inspected the 15km Left Hand Services Carriageway of the Outer Southern Expressway Stage II, from Ring Road I Junction (by Apo Roundabout) to Wasa Junction Abuja. He said the expressways, when completed, will decongest traffic within the Abuja city centre.
6. According to the FCT Minister, “We first of all went to the Inner Southern Expressway and then we are now on the Outer Southern Expressway. The importance of these two major contracts, they will do a lot to decongest the traffic you see very often along this road.
7. “But more importantly, the Inner Southern Expressway, you can see how huge it is. It’s a very ambitious project. We are not afraid of tackling it. We believe by the grace of God, with adequate funding, that project is a project that has to be completed and it will of course change the landscape of FCT and this will be completed this year. We believe if we fund them very well, which we’ve been able to do, by December, this Outer Southern Carriageway will be completed”.
8. Barr. Wike also expressed satisfaction with the transformation that is ongoing in the FCT in terms of the provision of major infrastructure and expressed the hope that a lot will be achieved before the onset of this year’s rainy season.
9. He said the contractors were also concentrating on the roads that are to be commissioned by May this year, notably the OSEX from Villa Round About to Ring Road I, the Full scope Development of Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway to ONEX, among others, having been heavily funded by the FCT Administration.
10. He further assured that the FCT Administration has the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and will continue to carry out its responsibilities to residents of the FCT.
11. Speaking on the spate of insecurity in the FCT over the last few weeks, the Minister once again assured that the security agencies in the territory are working round the clock to ensure the safety of all residents, adding that security operatives would continue to take the war to criminals wherever they may be in the nation’s capital.
12. Giving an overview of the projects, the Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Shehu Ahmad Hadi explained that the full scope of development of ISEX stretches from AYA Roundabout to meet the OSEX in Kuje.
13. He said the segment visited by the Minister was a 10 kilometer stretch of road from the Southern Parkway to the Ring Road II, around Galadimawa interchange.
29/01/2024
