President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commissioned the newly completed Arterial Road N16 (Shehu Shagari Way), a critical route linking the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway (Ring Road 1) to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way) in the Katampe District of Abuja.
The project includes a major interchange and adjoining roads that connect strategic areas such as Katampe, Jahi, Maitama, and Mabushi districts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) via its official Facebook page on Wednesday.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, commissioned the newly completed Arterial Road N16 (Shehu Shagari Way), extending from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway (Ring Road 1) to Arterial Road N20 (Wole Soyinka Way), along with an interchange and other adjoining roads within the Katampe District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),” the statement read in part.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Tinubu emphasized the importance of infrastructure in promoting economic growth and international integration.
He noted that the completion of the long-abandoned corridor reflects his administration’s commitment to urban transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
President Tinubu praised FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike for overseeing the project’s timely completion and applauded the peaceful relocation and compensation of indigenous communities affected by the construction.
“They told me how cooperative you were, and you collaborated with the FCT Minister, and, respectively, you have been relocated. Not that we grabbed the land,” the President told traditional rulers at the event.
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In his remarks, the FCT Minister disclosed that the project was awarded in October 2024 and executed by China Geo-Engineering Construction (CGC). He said the contractor’s early mobilisation was a sign of growing confidence in the FCT Administration’s project delivery and payment process.
Wike disclosed that residents along the road corridor were paid 200% compensation, a strategic move that helped prevent delays and resistance.
- The FCT Minister stated that he ensured that those who received compensation were also properly resettled, allowing the project to proceed smoothly without obstruction.
- He reassured President Tinubu that all projects awarded under the FCT Administration would be completed by the third year of the President’s tenure.
- The Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, also acknowledged the President’s continued support and credited Wike’s leadership with driving the transformation currently taking place in Abuja.
The Arterial Road N16 project is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion, enhance connectivity within the city, and align with Abuja’s broader urban development goals.
