President Bola Tinubu has named the newly inaugurated arterial road N20, stretching from the northern parkway to the Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as the Wole Soyinka Highway.
Official Announcement
In a post shared on X on Tuesday, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the naming of the road after the Nobel Laureate was recommended by the FCT administration.
“In naming the road after the distinguished playwright, poet, and novelist who clocks 90 on 13 July, President Tinubu said Soyinka was the first African to win the Nobel Literature Prize,” Onanuga wrote. “He said Soyinka has brought honor and fame to Nigeria.”
Previous Naming of the Southern Parkway
In May, Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, named Abuja’s southern parkway after President Tinubu. The southern parkway stretches from the National Christian Centre to ring road one and is considered one of the city’s major spines. The minister stated that the project was completed in line with the president’s ‘renewed hope agenda,’ 13 years after construction commenced, adding that it would ease the free flow of traffic in the FCT.
Complementing Infrastructure
The southern parkway complements the northern parkway, the major arterial known as Sani Abacha Road, which runs across Mabushi and terminates at Life Camp. The project was commissioned by President Tinubu, who had just returned from an official trip to Lagos.
Other Infrastructural Developments
During his trip to Lagos, President Tinubu flagged off the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, which began in March. He also performed the inauguration of the reconstructed Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota expressway and the rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge.
Bottom Line
The naming of the Wole Soyinka Highway underscores the administration’s commitment to honoring distinguished Nigerians while advancing significant infrastructural projects that aim to enhance connectivity and ease traffic flow within the Federal Capital Territory and beyond.
