The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced plans to transform the newly completed Apo-Karshi road into a major tourist attraction, marking a dramatic turnaround for a strategic highway corridor left abandoned since its initial award in 2010.
Speaking to journalists during an inspection tour of the project in Abuja on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Wike revealed that the breakthrough followed an executive directive from President Bola Tinubu to terminate the original contract after the initial indigenous contractor failed to deliver despite receiving full payment.
‘This road was awarded in 2010 to an indigenous contractor. We did all we could to persuade the contractor to ensure that the job was fully implemented, even though we had fully paid, but the contractor was not forthcoming,’ Wike explained.
Following the President’s intervention, the FCT Administration re-awarded the contract to a more competent firm—a decision the minister noted initially drew public scrutiny over the project’s cost.
‘When this contract was awarded, some people were asking how we could award it at that amount. But we were not deterred. All we were concerned about was the happiness and comfort of the people,’ he stated.
Expressing satisfaction with the engineering quality delivered across the corridor’s difficult terrain, Wike described the Apo-Karshi highway as one of the most high-profile projects executed by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). He added that widespread reactions on social media underscored public surprise at the scale and sophistication of the infrastructure.
Urging Nigerians to assess the Tinubu administration’s performance holistically, the minister pointed to the road as proof of the government’s commitment to transformative infrastructure.
‘Look at what is going on in Abuja today—the level of infrastructure and how it has turned out to be a tourist centre. I am happy that people are happy and that Nigerians have seen the infrastructure development being carried out by the Tinubu administration,’ Wike said, while also commending journalists for spotlighting the project’s progress.
Regarding plans to equip the corridor with public amenities befitting a tourist destination, Wike disclosed that he had turned down a facilities proposal from the FCDA coordinator, clarifying that the agency’s core mandate is road construction while the relevant tourism department will determine the required recreational infrastructure.
‘Be sure that I will make it happen as a tourist centre,’ the minister assured.
Meanwhile, Wike stated that the FCT Administration is working around President Tinubu’s schedule to inaugurate the Apo-Karshi road before the end of November, alongside 10 to 12 other completed projects—including infrastructure works inspected at the Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX), the Southern Parkway, and Kaura District.
