Images: Tinubu launches capital city stroll, vows to safeguard international business interests

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President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting local and foreign investments, declaring that Nigeria is “ready and open for business” as the Federal Government continues to strengthen the legal, physical and financial frameworks needed to safeguard capital and guarantee returns.

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The President made the declaration on Thursday while inaugurating the Sales Office and Experience Centre for the Abuja City Walk Development project in Abuja.

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Tinubu was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima, according to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.

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“We are not just opening a building. We are unveiling the window to a multi-billion-dollar future. We are presenting a tangible manifestation of our Renewed Hope Agenda, sculpted in concrete, innovation, and unwavering determination,” Tinubu said.

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He said the government’s commitment to protecting investments is being backed by ongoing reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business.

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According to him, the administration is “optimising legal, physical, and financial frameworks to protect capital, guarantee returns, and eliminate unnecessary administrative bottlenecks on the system.”

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The President described the Abuja City Walk project as evidence of his administration’s promise to drive economic transformation and infrastructure renewal.

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“The City Walk Experience Centre stands as proof that our administration does not just make promises; we execute them with determination,” he said.

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Tinubu said the project, which enjoys Free Trade Zone status, would serve as a catalyst for regional commerce, medical tourism, premium retail and high-end hospitality.

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“The Abuja City Walk is a shining symbol of what can be achieved when political will meets private sector expertise and capital,” he said.

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He added, “By granting this corridor a Free Trade Zone status, we have further eliminated trade friction, laying down a fertile environment for regional commerce, medical tourism, premium retail, and high-end hospitality.”

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The President also commended the Federal Capital Territory Administration under Minister Nyesom Wike for reviving the Abuja Technology Village corridor after years of inactivity.

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“For 20 years, the Abuja Technology Village corridor lay dormant. Today, through aggressive land administration reforms and the eradication of bureaucratic inertia, it is being transformed into a bustling construction hub,” he said.

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Tinubu said his administration was ending the era of land speculation and abandoned projects in the nation’s capital.

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“We have made it clear that land is an asset for rapid development, not an instrument for developmental retrogression and speculative hoarding,” he stated.

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He added that sustainable national development could not be driven by government alone, urging the FCT Administration and private sector partners to sustain the momentum by accelerating construction work following the opening of the sales office and experience centre.

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Earlier, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said the Abuja City Walk project aligns with one of the Tinubu administration’s major objectives of attracting foreign direct investment and creating employment opportunities for Nigerians.

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Wike said while the government would continue to provide an enabling environment for investment, Nigerians also have a responsibility to support government policies and programmes to ensure continuity and sustainability.

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Also speaking, Executive Director of Link Development, Dr Kassim Gidado, described the project as the beginning of a bold vision that would create a modern mixed-use district featuring residential estates, educational institutions, worship centres, shopping malls, recreational facilities, a Free Trade Zone and a green corridor.

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The Abuja City Walk Development project, being implemented by the Federal Capital Territory Administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda, is designed to promote smart city solutions, attract private investment and position Abuja as a major destination for business, technology and sustainable urban development.

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