By Daniel Tyokua
President Bola Tinubu has restored access to the Tunga Madaki community in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which had been cut off from the city and essential social amenities due to the absence of a motorable road.
Speaking during the inauguration of the seven kilometre Tunga Madaki Road, which connects the community to Bill Clinton Drive, including a four-span bridge, Tinubu said no Nigerian community should be left behind in the nation’s development efforts.
The President, represented by senate President Godswill Akpabio, said the project was conceived to address years of neglect suffered by communities that surrendered their ancestral lands for the construction of the airport’s second runway but were left without basic road infrastructure.
According to him, the newly completed road is more than a transportation project; it is a strategic economic corridor that will improve security around the airport, ease traffic congestion, and unlock development opportunities for residents of Tunga Madaki and neighbouring communities.
Tinubu recalled that when the need arose to construct the airport’s second runway, host communities willingly gave up their lands in the national interest.
“Yet, for years, the paradox remained. These patriotic communities gave up land for airplanes to fly, yet they had no motorable roads for their own feet and vehicles,” he said.
On the impact of the project, the District Head of Tunga Madaki, Muhammad Haruna, described the road as a historic turning point for the community after years of neglect by successive administrations.
He said that before the construction of the road, the local economy was severely constrained by a dilapidated road network and a collapsed bridge over the community’s river, leaving farmers unable to transport their produce to markets.
Haruna said the relief and excitement the project has brought to residents would not be forgotten.
“In terms of agricultural goods and farm produce, it has not been easy for us to move our products from the farms to the community, let alone to external markets. But today, we are joyful,” he said.
Haruna expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and FCT minister for addressing a longstanding challenge that had hindered economic growth and social development in the area.
