President Bola Tinubu says his  administration is building road infrastructure to lay the needed physical foundation for a knowledge-driven economy, stressing that education, justice, and innovation need roads to thrive.

Tinubu stated this in Abuja, while inaugurating the construction of Collector Road CO1 in the Institutional Research District, from Nile University to Ring Road III.

Tinubu who spoke through the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the project included dualisation of the road from Baze University roundabout to Nile University, that is the Base University.

He noted that three years into his administration, the results were speaking out.

“From the Southern Parkway to the Institution and Research District, we are laying the physical foundation for a knowledge-driven economy.

“Today, we provide those roads that are needed to provide justice, education, and innovation to our people.

“To the university community, this road is more than a route. It is a connection between learning, law, and the future of our capital,” he said.

He pointed out that the Institution and Research District was designed to be the intellectual heart of Abuja, adding that universities, law chambers, research centers, and innovation hubs were growing in the area.

He, however, stressed that ideas could not move if roads do not move and connect the heart and people together.

Tinubu further said: “Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we made a choice to finish what was started and to start what we must finish.

“The first phase of this corridor connecting the Body of Benchers, Nile, and Base University is done and ready for commissioning. Today, we begin the next phase to Ring Road III to complete the loop.

“That is how we build a city—with a plan. Not a city of abandoned pieces. Infrastructure must be continuous, and it must also be useful to the people within the environment”.

He commended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for turning FCT into a delivery agency,  stressing that the transformation of Abuja under the minister’s watch is bold, visible and worthy of commendation.

In his remarks, Wike explained that the project was considered following a plea by the Body of Benchers to provide access roads to ease the movement of people in and out of the area.

He assured FCT residents that the Tinubu administration would fulfill all the promises made to the people of FCT, adding that the project would be completed by January 2027.

The minister said he would continue to deliver life-impacting projects to FCT residents as directed by Tinubu, stressing that the delivery would not be affected by 2027 political activities.

Earlier, acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, Richard Dauda, said that the Institutional Research District of the FCT is located in Phase III of the city.

Dauda said that the area was planned to accommodate educational institutions like universities, research institutions, and other government institutions as provided in the Abuja master plan.

He added that the district was being developed in stages, with this project being a major intervention in the opening of the district.

He explained that the scope of the current stage involved the construction of Collector Road CO1, from the Nile University to Ring Road III with a total length of about 6 kilometres.

He added that the project also included the dualisation of the section from the Base University Junction to Nile University.