Tinubu Commissions OSEX, vow to End Abandoned Projects

President Bola Tinubu commissioned the Outer Southern Expressway main carriageway in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, June 10, 2026, pledging that his administration was determined to end the culture of abandoned federal infrastructure projects that had blighted Nigeria’s development landscape for decades.

The OSEX carriageway, a major road infrastructure project in Abuja, had been under construction for several years before the Tinubu administration prioritised its completion. FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who has staked much of his ministerial credibility on delivering infrastructure results in the capital, said the commissioning represented one of the most significant road completions in the FCT in recent years.

President Tinubu used the occasion to send a broader message about his administration’s infrastructure philosophy, saying that the era of groundbreaking ceremonies followed by years of abandonment was over. ‘We will build, and we will finish what we build,’ Tinubu said, according to a statement released by his office. He said the OSEX commissioning was part of a wider programme of infrastructure deliveries across the country in the run-up to Democracy Day.

Wike Praises Infrastructure Momentum

FCT Minister Wike described the OSEX as a transformative project that would ease traffic congestion in the southern districts of Abuja and improve connectivity for hundreds of thousands of residents. He said the ministry was tracking multiple simultaneous infrastructure projects in the FCT, including road expansions, drainage systems, and public space renovations, and expected to deliver several more by the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, Tinubu also commissioned projects in Ekiti State during a visit on Tuesday, with Vice President Kashim Shettima performing the groundbreaking of the Ekiti Knowledge Zone on behalf of the President. The Ekiti projects included education, technology, and infrastructure components funded under the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

However, civil society groups said the pace of project commissioning in the weeks before Democracy Day and the Ekiti governorship election raised questions about whether the timing was driven by genuine project completion milestones or political considerations. Furthermore, critics pointed out that many abandoned projects in other states remained untouched, suggesting that the administration’s anti-abandonment pledge was still selectively applied. Still, infrastructure advocates said any completed project represented a positive outcome for citizens, regardless of the political context of its commissioning. Notably, the NGX All-Share Index bounced back with a N515 billion gain on Tuesday as investors renewed buying interest, reflecting broader market confidence in Nigeria’s economic direction. Consequently, the economic signals emerging on the eve of Democracy Day offer a mixed but broadly improving picture of Nigeria’s progress under three years of reform.

COAS Secures UBA Housing Partnership for Troops

In related national news, the Chief of Army Staff secured a housing partnership with United Bank for Africa to provide affordable accommodation for Nigerian troops, addressing a long-standing welfare challenge within the armed forces. In addition, Vice President Shettima said investments, enterprise, and innovation would drive Nigeria toward its goal of a one trillion dollar economy. As a result, the federal government’s communications on the eve of Democracy Day struck a balance between celebrating achievements and acknowledging the significant work that remains.