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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday, commissioned the Bwari Township Water Supply Network Project, declaring that his administration will extend potable water to all satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of its Renewed Hope Agenda to decentralise development and improve living conditions in underserved communities.

Represented by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the commissioning ceremony in Bwari, the President described access to clean water as a fundamental right and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that infrastructure development reaches every part of the nation’s capital.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a slogan. It is a contract. It is a deliberate, calculated, and unyielding commitment to governance that works for the people,” Tinubu said.

He noted that previous administrations had concentrated development in Abuja’s city centre while satellite communities remained neglected, insisting that his government had resolved to change the narrative.

“For too long, the narrative of Abuja has been a tale of two cities a glittering centre surrounded by underserved communities. We said no. That era is gone. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and development must be decentralised,” he stated.

Tinubu said the newly completed 198-kilometre water pipeline network, constructed by China Geo-engineering Construction (CGC) Limited, would provide potable water to Bwari, Ushafa and surrounding communities by linking them directly to the Lower Usuma Dam treated water source.

He recalled that after reviewing the proposal submitted by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, he immediately approved the project to address years of dependence on untreated boreholes and streams.

“I gave him a direct order: ‘Go out there, mobilise the best, and fix it.’ Today, we are commissioning this massive, state-of-the-art 198-kilometre water pipeline network,” the President said.

According to him, the project will improve public health by reducing waterborne diseases, eliminate the costly reliance on private boreholes and create new economic opportunities.

Tinubu disclosed that more than 1,600 direct and indirect jobs were created during the execution of the project.

He assured residents that the water expansion programme would continue across the FCT.

“Last year, it was the Lower Usuma Dam Phase II rehabilitation; last month, it was the Karu water network; today it is Bwari. Before our tenure is through, this water revolution will fully cover Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji,” he pledged.

The President commended the FCT Minister for accelerating infrastructure delivery across the territory, describing him as “Mr. Project.”

“From boosting the FCT’s Internally Generated Revenue to executing 31 landmark projects simultaneously across the territory from roads to housing and now water you have proven to be a reliable champion of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Tinubu said.

He urged residents of Bwari to protect the facility from vandalism, stressing that it was built with public funds for the benefit of the people.

Earlier, FCT Minister Barr Nyesom Wike said the project fulfilled President Tinubu’s directive that modern water infrastructure should be extended beyond Abuja’s city centre to satellite towns.

According to him, the Bwari project is the third major water intervention completed under the current administration after the rehabilitation of the Abuja city water system and the recently commissioned Karu satellite town water project.

“Since Mr. President came into office in 2023, he has provided water for the city centre, water for Karu and neighbouring communities, and today, water for Bwari. Let people know that we are not concentrating only on roads; we are making sure other sectors are also being touched,” Wike said.

The minister disclosed that the administration had now officially commissioned 50 major projects since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 and announced plans to inaugurate another 10 projects before the commencement of election campaigns next year.

He attributed the pace of development in the FCT to the President’s unwavering support.

“You can be a minister, but without the support of the President, it is difficult to perform. Mr. President has given the FCT all the support required to change the narrative, and we will not disappoint him,” Wike added.

In her vote of thanks, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, described the Bwari Water Supply Network as another milestone in the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

She said the project would improve access to safe drinking water, enhance public health and restore confidence in government while reaffirming the administration’s commitment to expanding people-centred infrastructure across the FCT.

Also speaking, Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda, said the project, originally scheduled for completion in December, had been substantially completed ahead of schedule.

He noted that, beyond providing potable water to Bwari and neighbouring communities, the project generated significant employment opportunities during construction and would improve the health and well-being of residents through reliable access to safe drinking water.

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315 Nigerian South African returnees are expected to arrive in the country on Wednesday, 15th July 2026, in a final evacuation move by the Federal Government.

This was revealed in a statement signed on Tuesday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa.

The flight to be operated by AirPeace will depart South Africa at 1.30 AM with an estimated time of arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, set at 6.30 AM.

The government had earlier conducted four evacuation flights, bringing home hundreds of Nigerians following the recent xenophobic attacks and security concerns in parts of South Africa.

The Federal Government’s evacuation consists of Nigerians who indicated interest in returning home as a result of the attacks.

The previous batch brought in a total of 40 returnees.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians wherever they may be and expressed appreciation to all stakeholders involved in the evacuation exercise.

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Recalling the last moments of former President Muhammadu Buhari at a London hospital last year, Vice President Kashim Shettima said he wept seeing that life was ebbing out of the late leader.

Speaking at the one year remembrance event yesterday Shettima said: “The President (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) called me and said, ‘Kashim, I’ve just learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari is ill in London. Please kindly proceed to London and find out what is happening, and ensure he lacks nothing.”

The vice president described the poignant scene at the London hospital, which he said left him in tears.

“I came out with tears in my eyes and met Zara and Yusuf (Buhari’s children) at the door of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It was a moving spectacle. It was an emotional moment,” Shettima said, adding that escorting the late President’s body home remained one of the greatest honors of his life.

Echoes of the late president’s life and times reverberated in Abuja during activities marking the one year of his transition.

His body was brought back home and buried in his Daura, Katsina State home.

Members of the late leader’s family, his political associates, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, military allies and subordinates, gathered for the event.

The high-profile, solemn assembly drew distinguished leaders, including former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon, the National Assembly leadership, governors, royal fathers and members of the diplomatic corps.

President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Shettima, opened the floodgate of tributes to the late leader.

Delivering Tinubu’s keynote address, the vice president reassured the bereaved family of the Federal Government’s lifelong solidarity.

Addressing the former First Lady and her children directly, the President said: “To the immediate family, to our dear Mrs. Aisha Buhari, and to the younger Buharis, I know that you have passed through a season of profound grief. Please be assured that the nation and this administration stand with you now and in all the years to come.

“Our administration will continue to hold you up in our prayers, trusting that Almighty Allah will comfort you, sustain you, and shield you from all harms.”

Reflecting on his long political journey with the late leader, Tinubu described Buhari as a “co-traveller on the long road of politics and national development,” noting that they shared a deep, common passion for a progressive Nigeria.

“He gave everything he had to this country, and he gave it without reservation. He served with courage. He served with conviction and with a patriotism that never asked what the nation could return to him,” Tinubu said.

The President praised the late Buhari’s “rare ability to maintain the love and trust of ordinary Nigerians even after leaving office”, a feat he noted “is uncommon in public service.

“Power, ordinarily exhausts the affection of the governed… yet, when he laid down the burden of leadership, and through all the years of his retirement, and in his final months… the trust of ordinary Nigerians did not depart from him. It followed him into private life,” the President remarked.

Before reading the official presidential address, Shettima strayed from the script to praise President Tinubu’s fierce loyalty to his friends, recalling a touching directive he received when Buhari fell ill in London.

Urging the gathering of friends, associates, and mentees to look to the future, President Tinubu stated that the finest way to honor the departed is to emulate his core values.

“Our duty, as his friends, as his mentees, and as his associates, is to carry forward the inheritance he left us: honesty, simplicity, and self-discipline,” Tinubu said, concluding that the late President’s memory has safely entered the permanent consciousness of Nigeria.

Gen. Gowon took the audience down memory lane to their active military days, describing the late Buhari as a “gallant soldier”, who did his best to keep Nigeria united.

Gowon praised the political alliance between the late Buhari and Tinubu, noting that Buhari returned Tinubu’s early support when the time came for the transition of power.

“He stood firmly behind President Tinubu so that he could continue serving Nigeria,” Gowon observed.

Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda described the late former President Muhammadu Buhari as the state’s “moral compass” and a leader whose personal integrity became entirely synonymous with public service.

Represented by his Deputy Malam Faruk Lawal Jobe, the governor stressed that the late Buhari’s physical absence has left a deep void, but noted that the home state remains immensely proud of his lifelong dedication to the Nigerian project.

He said: “Here in Katsina State, President Buhari was more than a former Head of State, or former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was our illustrious son, our pride and our moral compass. He never forgot his roots.”

The governor noted that while the late leader pursued critical, sweeping reforms in infrastructure, rail transportation, agriculture, and social investment, his most valuable contribution to Nigeria was the enduring example of modesty he set at the highest level of governance.

Radda further said: “Whether one agreed with all his policies or not, no one could reasonably question his sincerity of purpose, his simplicity of lifestyle and his unwavering commitment to the Nigerian project.

“He firmly believed that leadership was a sacred trust and that public office exists to serve the people rather than personal interests.”

The governor challenged Nigeria’s current political class to move beyond symbolic gestures if they truly wish to keep the late president’s memory alive.

He said: “The greatest tribute we can pay to President Muhammadu Buhari is not merely through speeches, monuments or commemorative events. Rather, it is by embracing the principles that guided his life. If we truly wish to honour his memory, then we must commit ourselves to integrity over expediency, service over self-interest, justice over favouritism and national unity over division.”

Among those who paid glowing tributes were: Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum; Bala Mohammed (Bauchi); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Umar Namadi (Jigawa); Budget and National Planning Minister Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; former governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Simon Lalong (Plateau); former information and National Orientation Lai Mohammed; former Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Chairman Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa.

They include: former National Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Sen. Abdullahi Adamu; former Senate President Ahmad Lawan; former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Tukur Buratai; former Immigration Controller, Mohammed Babandede; former Plateau Deputy governor Pauline Tallen and other appointees that served under the former leader.

Also in attendance were: Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State AbdulRaham AbdulRazaq; Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan and Emirs of Kazaure, Dutse and Nasarawa.

The Chairman of the Central Organising Committee and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, disclosed plans by the family to establish the Muhammadu Buhari Foundation and Centre, alongside several legacy publications, to preserve his contributions to the nation.

“Today is not merely about recalling the passing of a former President,” Mustapha stated. “It is an occasion to reflect on a life of service and to preserve for future generations the memory of a man who devoted much of his adult life to the service of Nigeria,” the former SGF said. (The Nation)