Wike Wants Two Abuja Roads Named After Achebe, Clerk

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to name two roads in Guzape Districts after Chinua Achebe and J. P. Clerk.

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and a central figure of modern African literature, while J. P. Clerk. was a Nigerian poet and playwright.

Wike made the request in Abuja during the inauguration of Guzape Lot II Engineering Infrastructure by Tinubu, to celebrate his one year in office yesterday.

“I want to appeal to you, just like what you did last time when you approved the naming of Arterial N-20 Road after Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka. There are a lot of Nigerians who also have in one way, or the other, made their own contributions, particularly in literary works.

“So many of them have made Nigeria proud. People like Chinua Achebe; people like J. P. Clerk. Your excellency, I want to appeal to you to name this road after Chinua Achebe and another road within the same district after J. P. Clerk,” he said.

The minister described Guzape as one of the biggest districts in FCT and fast developing.

He explained that the contract was awarded in 2003 at N14 billion, during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and divided into two lots. He said that Lot I was awarded to Dantata and Sawoe while Lot II was awarded to Gilmor Engineering, adding that the contract was revised to over N18 billion in the third week of May 2023.

Wike said that Dantata and Sawoe had left the site for a very long time, until the Tinubu administration came on board, mobilised them back to site and ongoing work.   For the completed Lot II, the minister said he had inspected the execution of the project over 15 times to ensure timely delivery. (NAN)