Renewed Hope on Asphalt: Tinubu flags off two Abuja roads that will give residents back their time, their money, their sanity

They have been trapped in traffic for years. Mothers missing school runs. Workers arriving late. Fuel burning, tempers flaring, lives shrinking in the gridlock of Durumi, Gudu, Gaduwa, Duboyi.

On Tuesday, that began to change.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, stepped forward to break the chains of congestion in Abuja’s south. Though he was represented by APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, his message was clear, personal, and urgent: You deserve roads that move as fast as your dreams.

—Southern Parkway Service Carriageways: The road to breathe again—

At Gaduwa District, the President flagged off the construction of two service carriageways along the Southern Parkway from Arterial Road S20 to Ring Road II. This is the missing half of a promise.

The main carriageway—now christened Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way—was completed and inaugurated. But the service lanes? Those were the ones that would take the pressure off families in Durumi, Gudu, Gaduwa, Duboyi and beyond. Those were the lanes that would decide whether you get home for dinner or sleep in traffic.

“When completed, these service carriageways will reduce congestion, improve traffic flow, shorten travel time, lower transportation costs for businesses, and improve the quality of life for residents,” the President declared.

Then he said the words Abuja residents have been waiting to hear: “This is the dividend of democracy. This is Renewed Hope in action.”

This isn’t just asphalt. It’s hours returned to fathers. It’s reduced fuel bills for traders. It’s ambulances moving faster. It’s a city finally exhaling.

—Collector Road CO1: Building the brain of the nation—

Hours later, at the Institution and Research District near Nile University, the President turned to another kind of traffic—ideas.

Collector Road CO1 will link universities, research centres, legal establishments and innovation hubs to the wider Abuja network. Because ideas cannot move if roads do not move.

“The Institution and Research District was conceived as the intellectual heart of Abuja,” Tinubu said. “This project will provide critical access, reduce travel time, improve connectivity and support the growth of a knowledge-driven economy.”

Picture the law student who won’t miss court practice. The researcher who reaches her lab on time. The tech founder who can finally meet investors without losing half the day in traffic. That’s what this road is for.

The corridor linking Body of Benchers, Nile University and Baze University—already completed—is set for inauguratoon during the 3rd anniversary of Renewed Hope. Brick by brick, road by road, the “intellectual heart” of Abuja is getting a pulse.

—“Wike has shown that leadership is measured by results”—

At both flag-offs, Tinubu praised FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike  for turning Abuja into “a major construction hub”.

From reviving abandoned projects to accelerating work across satellite towns, the Minister’s bulldozers have become symbols of a government that builds instead of explains.

The President also commended Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, FCTA and FCDA officials for quality supervision.

—A charge to contractors and citizens—

Tinubu didn’t sugarcoat it: there will be dust, delays, diversions. “Temporary inconveniences will ultimately give way to lasting benefits,” he told residents.

He charged contractors to deliver quality, meet timelines, employ Nigerian youths and artisans, and transfer skills—so roads don’t just connect places, they build people.

—“The best days are ahead”—

Three years into Renewed Hope, Tinubu said the evidence is now visible—from transportation to housing, education to economic reforms.

“The best days of Abuja and indeed Nigeria remain ahead,” he declared.

For the commuter stuck at Gaduwa every evening, for the student racing to Baze University, those words now have a foundation. Literally.

Two roads. Thousands of lives. One promise: Nigeria can work.

The statement containing the report of the inauguration was issued by  Abimbola Tooki
Special Adviser to the National Chairman of APC  on Media and Information Strstegy.