The Federal Government has denied the renaming of the Murtala Mohammed Expressway in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, after Wole Soyinka.
In a statement signed by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, the government stressed that the administration never considered renaming the Murtala Mohammed Expressway.
“To set the record straight, on June 4th, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a new road in the FCT, designated Arterial Road N20, which extends from Katampe to Jahi. This new road connects the existing Outer Northern Expressway (also known as Murtala Mohammed Expressway) to the Northern Parkway (also known as Ahmadu Bello Way),” Ibrahim explained.
During the inauguration ceremony, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike proposed to President Tinubu that the new road, Arterial Road N20, be named after Professor Wole Soyinka, to which the President agreed.
“Therefore, it is the Arterial Road N20 that is named after Professor Soyinka. The Murtala Mohammed Expressway remains unchanged and continues to bear the name of our esteemed former Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed,” Ibrahim clarified.
Ibrahim urged citizens to disregard any misinformation about the renaming of the Murtala Mohammed Expressway and dismissed the reports as entirely false and a product of unfounded speculation.