By Stella Odueme
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has announced that the Benin-Asaba Road has been returned to the Federal Ministry of Works, following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for the comprehensive redesign and reconstruction of the 136-kilometre highway as a dual carriageway.
Umahi made the disclosure on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during the reopening of the First Niger Bridge on the Asaba-Onitsha Road, where he also outlined ongoing rehabilitation measures to improve the safety and durability of the bridge.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the minister said the removal of the concession arrangement that previously prevented the ministry from directly reconstructing the Benin-Asaba Road would enable the Federal Government to take full responsibility for the project.
“What stopped the Ministry of Works from reconstructing Benin-Asaba Road, the concessioning of that route, has been unsealed. We now have our route back to the Ministry of Works,” he said.
According to Umahi, President Tinubu has directed the total redesign of the 136-kilometre road, with construction expected to commence after the design process is completed.
He assured motorists that remedial works were already ongoing on critical sections of the highway, while permanent reinforced concrete pavement would be introduced to provide a lasting solution to the road's poor condition.
“The legacy of President Bola Tinubu, you will see it ongoing on this road. Never again will our people suffer on this road,” the minister stated.
On the First Niger Bridge, Umahi said the Federal Government had intensified efforts to rehabilitate and protect the strategic infrastructure linking the South-East and South-South regions.
He explained that the intervention followed an alert by a content creator about activities threatening the bridge's structural integrity. A subsequent inspection reportedly revealed that some individuals were removing bolts and cutting iron components from the steel structure.
The minister warned that such activities could undermine the bridge's stability and potentially cause a collapse.
He recalled that the bridge was commissioned in 1966 by Nigeria's then Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, but had experienced inadequate maintenance over the years.
Umahi said the rehabilitation works included asphalt resurfacing and median demarcation, similar to interventions carried out on Lagos' Third Mainland Bridge.
He explained that the median demarcation was necessary to prevent static loads from remaining on sections of the bridge for extended periods.
Additional safety measures include the installation of CCTV cameras, solar-powered lighting and observation centres at both ends of the bridge. Security personnel are expected to use the facilities to monitor activities on and beneath the structure.
Three turnaround passages have also been created to enable motorists to manoeuvre safely when vehicles break down.
“Exactly the treatment we gave to the Third Mainland Bridge is the treatment we gave to this place,” Umahi said.
However, he clarified that the rehabilitation was not yet fully completed, listing the outstanding works to include repainting the steel structure, completing maintenance on rust-affected areas beneath the bridge deck, installing CCTV cameras above and below the bridge, and providing canopies at both ends.
The minister also warned against illegal sand dredging around bridges, reminding federal works directors in Delta and Anambra states that regulations prohibit the activity within a 10-kilometre radius of bridges.
He directed the directors to report any failure by security agencies to enforce the regulations, warning that disciplinary action would follow if the illegal activity continued.
FG Targets Reconstruction of East-West Road
Umahi also disclosed that President Tinubu had directed the reconstruction of approximately 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, which traverses the Niger Delta from the Benin axis through the South-South to Cross River State.
He described the project as a major infrastructure investment that would complement the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The minister dismissed claims that work on the coastal highway had stopped, saying construction remained ongoing and that the remaining sections in Bayelsa and Cross River states would be taken up in the coming weeks.
“Some people thought that the East-West Road was a road in the South-East, and they started talking, trying to intentionally impinge the South-South brothers with the South-East brothers. East-West Road is entirely in the Niger Delta,” he said.
He maintained that the Niger Delta was entitled to its share of national infrastructure projects, adding that the Federal Government remained committed to completing both the coastal highway and the East-West Road reconstruction.
“The coastal road is the right of the Niger Delta people. And the President will complete that 750-kilometre road. And they will also complete the SPP, which is the full reconstruction of 400 kilometres of East-West Road,” Umahi said.
He further disclosed that the designs for the first and second sections of the East-West Road were nearing completion, with construction expected to begin soon.
On the Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor, the minister said reconstruction had reached approximately 90 per cent completion.
He also highlighted the ongoing reconstruction of a 44-kilometre section in Port Harcourt using reinforced concrete pavement.
In Anambra State, Umahi announced the introduction of reinforced concrete pavement on another major road project. He said 33 kilometres of a 107-kilometre dual carriageway project had been completed, while work on the remaining 40-kilometre section from the First Niger Bridge axis was expected to commence within two weeks.
The minister also cited the ongoing construction of Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge bypass, a 17.5-kilometre project valued at ₦172 billion, as evidence of the administration's infrastructure investments in the South-East.
“These are projects that show the President’s commitment to the South-East. We cannot thank the President enough,” he said.
Umahi defended the use of reinforced concrete pavement on selected highways, explaining that the technology was intended to deliver more durable roads capable of serving Nigerians for decades.
He illustrated the quality of the roads with an anecdote about a pilot who reportedly mistook a newly constructed road for an aircraft runway.
The minister also defended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, arguing that the measures were necessary to prevent a deeper economic crisis and establish the foundation for long-term recovery.
“When you have a wound and you have to stitch the wound, there will be pains at the initial time, but that pain is the beginning of healing,” he said.
“The worse is over. We are now into prosperity. We are into prosperity.”
He urged critics of the administration to propose practical alternatives rather than resort to insults and hate speech, adding that the country's economic indicators should guide assessments of the reforms.
“The President saved this country from catastrophic economy,” Umahi declared.
He acknowledged the need for the gains of the reforms to translate into improved living conditions for ordinary Nigerians, particularly households and small businesses, saying the economy was moving towards a stage where citizens could begin to feel the benefits.
On the political debate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Umahi defended the right of Nigerians to make independent political choices, rejecting suggestions that supporting Tinubu amounted to betraying the South-East.
He questioned why some political actors expected the region to support only one candidate, citing Peter Obi's efforts to secure votes across the South-West and northern parts of the country.
“Why is Peter Obi looking for votes in the South-West? Why is he looking for votes in the North? So people from the South-East must support only one person? When did we come together and say that all the people from the South-East will support Peter Obi?” he asked.
The minister urged political leaders and influential figures in the South-East to educate young people on the relationship between democracy, development and infrastructure.
He maintained that political decisions should be based on the interests and developmental needs of the people rather than regional sentiments.
“Let me tell the people of the South-East, it is what you vote in January 2027 that is our right to brag. That is our right to negotiate. Let us not be very funny. Let us not be very sentimental. Let us stop the hate speeches and embrace the new wave of hope,” he said.
Umahi argued that the region's participation in the electoral process would strengthen its ability to negotiate for further development and attract continued investments in roads and other critical infrastructure.
“Democracy is about development. It is about infrastructure. It is about inclusiveness. The President has done that,” he said.
“And we are here in the South-East to declare that the South-East is for President Bola Tinubu.”
The minister concluded by describing Tinubu as a leader whose infrastructure programme demonstrated a commitment to national development beyond ethnic and regional considerations.
“The evidence of what we are doing today is a total testimony that President Bola Tinubu is a detribalised Nigerian,” Umahi said.