Tinubu Commissions Karu Water Supply Network
…Says Era of Neglect of Satellite Towns is Over
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has officially commissioned the massive satellite town water supply network designed to channel safe, treated, potable water directly to the doorsteps of rural communities across Karu, Orozo, Jikwoyi, Kurudu, and adjacent neighborhoods in the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony held in the Kurudu community along the Karu-Karshi road on Monday, June 22, 2026, President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, described access to clean water as a core human right that had eluded the booming population of Karu and neighbouring communities for decades.
He said the current administration, with the delivery of clean and potable drinking water to Karu and other sattelite towns in the FCT, has brought an end to the era of neglect for the basic infrastructure needs of the communities in the periphery of the nation’s capital.
According to him, “Today, we declare that the era of neglect of our satellite towns is officially over”.
Stressing that his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda is designed to move governance out of city center boardrooms and into the daily realities of ordinary citizens in the rural areas, President Tinubu revealed that he issued a directive a year ago to the FCT Minister, during the launch of the Greater Abuja Water Supply Project, to extend critical utility loops beyond the city centre to the satellite.
“I said the metropolitan loops must not end in the elite districts. They must expand into our satellite towns where the heartbeat of Abuja’s working-class population truly resides. Today, we are here not just to cut a ribbon, but to breathe life into a fundamental human right that has eluded this bustling community for far too long. We declare that the era of neglect of our satellite towns is officially over.” President Tinubu stated.
He praised the swift execution of the project, which beat its official schedule due to the elimination of traditional bureaucratic funding delays and commended FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike for displaying exceptional executive capacity.
To ensure that the project serves the communities in the satellite towns, President Tinubu urged residents residents to take total ownership of the network by reporting illegal connections and protecting the pipelines from vandalism.
Speaking earlier, the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, CON, revealed that the foundational Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the water project was signed with contractors CGC Nigeria Limited during the President’s state visit to Beijing.
He said, thanks to prompt budgetary releases authorized by the President, the extensive network was completed in less than twelve months, noting that that the delivery of clean water has effectively elevated Karu’s status to that of a modern city.
He also disclosed that the FCT Administration will soon return to the area to flag off the comprehensive reconstruction of all internal roads within Karu, while the Bwari Satellite Town water supply project is also scheduled for formal commissioning next month, in July 2026.
In a brief political sidebar, Barr. Wike congratulated President Tinubu on the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s victory in Saturday’s by-election, while also light-heartedly acknowledging the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for maintaining a competitive spirit as the leading opposition party.
Speaking on the socio-economic impact of the project, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the network as a practical masterclass in good governance. She noted that replacing unsafe local boreholes and unregulated water vendors with clean municipal utility lines will immediately improve public health, enhance sanitation, and ease the financial and physical burdens historically borne by local families.
The Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr Richard Yunana Dauda, while providing a technical overview of the project, reiterated that the construction and expansion of water networks in Karu was in line with the Administration’s mandate towards sustained development of Satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory. He said the project had established the secondary trunk pipeline network required to feed the tertiary distribution systems in Karu and other communities, utilizing the existing Karu Reservoir Tank as the source of potable water and extending to other areas such as Kurudu, Jikwoyi, and Orozo.
He stated that the scope of work involved extensive earthworks, precision excavations, and advanced thrust boring techniques, adding that the network features the supply and installation of 190 kilometers of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines, ranging from 63-millimeter local distribution lines to heavy-duty 630-millimeter main transmission lines. The Executive Secretary also disclosed that the modern network is fully integrated with specialized industrial fittings, including critical air-release, washout, and gate valves to regulate and secure the water flow.
Deputy Managing Director, CGC Nigeria Limited, Lv Haiming, who also spoke at the event said the Karu Water Project was a demonstration of the Minister’s commitment to seeing that every resident of the FCT had access to quality infrastructure and good public service, adding that “the Karu Water Project is his demonstration of this commitment.”
