- The Federal Government clarified that the Murtala Muhammed Expressway in Abuja was not renamed after Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka
- The new Arterial Road N20, connecting Katampe to Jahi, was named after Prof. Wole Soyinka, not the existing expressway
The Federal Government has clarified that it did not rename the Murtala Muhammed Expressway in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, after Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. In a statement signed by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, the government emphasized that the current administration never considered renaming the Murtala Muhammed Expressway.
To set the record straight, Ibrahim explained that on June 4th, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated a new road in the FCT, Arterial Road N20. This road, which connects Katampe to Jahi, links the existing Outer Northern Expressway (also known as Murtala Muhammed Expressway) to the Northern Parkway (also called Ahmadu Bello Way).
“During the inauguration of Arterial Road N20, FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike proposed to the President that the road be named after Prof. Wole Soyinka, and the President agreed,” Ibrahim stated.
He clarified that it is the new Arterial Road N20 that has been named after Prof. Soyinka, while the Murtala Muhammed Expressway retains its original name, honoring the former Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Mohammed.
Ibrahim urged all citizens to disregard any misinformation about renaming the Murtala Muhammed Expressway, labelling such reports as false and a product of imagination.