By Nkechi Eze
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has said the major road infrastructure projects of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration are strengthening national connectivity and promoting greater integration across Nigeria.
Umahi stated this on Wednesday in Abuja during a press conference where he provided updates on the administration’s four legacy road projects, ongoing federal road interventions, completed projects and measures being adopted by the Ministry to ensure value for money.
He identified the four legacy projects as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Highway, also described as the Trans-Saharan Route, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road.
The Minister said the projects were conceived as strategic national infrastructure to connect the six geopolitical zones, facilitate the movement of people and goods, open up economic opportunities and strengthen long-term national development.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi disclosed that the 47-kilometre Section One had been completed, while significant progress had been recorded on the approximately 55-kilometre Section Two.
He said pavement works on the second section were nearing completion, with major flyovers, overpasses and underpasses being constructed to address traffic, environmental and engineering challenges along the corridor.
Umahi explained that portions of the alignment had been redesigned to accommodate existing and planned rail, road and industrial infrastructure, particularly around the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport axis.
He added that the alignment had also been redesigned at some locations in Ondo State because of difficult terrain, deep pits and challenging subsoil conditions, with ground improvement and filling works ongoing.
The Minister further disclosed that President Tinubu had directed that the continuation of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be aligned with the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta to address the effects of flooding and climate change.
According to him, critical sections of the East-West Road would be raised to accommodate present and anticipated flood levels and ensure the continued functionality of the route.
On the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Umahi said the project was designed to establish a major economic corridor linking Ilelah in Sokoto State with Badagry in Lagos State.
He said different sections of the highway were at various stages of construction, with progress recorded across the Sokoto, Kebbi, Oyo, Ogun and Badagry axes, while work in Niger and Kwara states would commence soon.
He said the corridor was expected to facilitate agricultural, industrial, tourism and other economic activities along its route.
Speaking on the Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Highway, Umahi said the project would strengthen connectivity between the coastal axis and northern parts of the country, facilitating the movement of people, goods and services across the South-South, South-East and North-Central geopolitical zones.
He disclosed that substantial progress had been recorded on the initial sections, while additional sections had been approved to improve the corridor’s economic viability and attractiveness to potential financiers.
On the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri road, the Minister said the single carriageway was being expanded as a major northern connectivity route, with the scope extended to include a Jos-Ibi spur in Taraba State.
Umahi also highlighted completed and ongoing projects across the country, including the Second Niger Bridge, the rehabilitation of the First Niger Bridge, Lafia Bypass, Kaduna-Pambeguwa Road, Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road and the Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel.
He said the Ministry was updating its compendium of completed and ongoing projects, which would subsequently be made available to the public.
The Minister said the administration’s infrastructure programme was also aimed at improving connectivity in the South-East, citing the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, rehabilitation of the First Niger Bridge and ongoing construction of bypasses and other federal road projects in the region.
“We can’t continue to live in denial. What we have been crying for is being given. The people of the South East are being fully reintegrated into the national infrastructure development plan,” Umahi said.
He stressed that infrastructure development should be viewed from the perspective of national integration rather than regional politics, noting that strategic investments in roads and bridges were intended to benefit communities and economic activities across the country.
Umahi also disclosed that substantial progress had been recorded on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, with the Jere-Kaduna section advancing steadily.
He said the Ministry was installing solar-powered lighting along the 375-kilometre expressway to improve night visibility, safety and security.
On the Benin-Asaba Expressway, the Minister said the Federal Government had commenced an “Operation Rescue” intervention following challenges associated with the road and its existing concession arrangement.
He said plans were being developed for comprehensive reconstruction of the alignment using continuously reinforced concrete pavement.
Umahi maintained that the Federal Government’s infrastructure investments were linked to the broader economic objectives of improving agricultural production, industrialisation, trade, tourism and investment.
On financing, he assured Nigerians that mechanisms had been put in place to ensure that the major legacy projects were adequately funded to completion.
“We don’t start what we will not finish. And we will not finish what we have not started,” he stated.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to completing inherited projects while delivering new strategic infrastructure, saying the projects were designed to improve connectivity, strengthen national integration and create economic opportunities across Nigeria.
