By Stella Odueme
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has said the major infrastructure projects being executed by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are designed to transform Nigeria’s transportation network, improve connectivity and stimulate economic growth.
Umahi stated this in Abuja at a press conference where he provided updates on the administration’s four legacy road projects, ongoing federal road interventions, completed projects, procurement processes and measures being adopted by the Ministry to ensure value for money.
According to a statement by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Mohammed A. Ahmed, on Thursday, minister identified the four legacy projects as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Highway, also known as the Trans-Saharan Route/North-South connectivity corridor, and the dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road.
According to him, the projects were conceived as strategic national infrastructure capable of connecting the six geopolitical zones, facilitating the movement of people and goods, opening up economic opportunities and supporting long-term national development.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi said Section 1, covering 47 kilometres, had been completed, while significant progress had been recorded on Section 2, covering about 55 kilometres.
He explained that pavement works on Section 2 were nearing completion, with major flyovers, overpasses and underpasses also under construction to address traffic, environmental and engineering challenges along the route.
The minister said portions of the alignment were redesigned to accommodate existing and planned rail, road and industrial infrastructure, particularly around the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport axis.
He explained that the redesign was intended to create an integrated transportation system rather than an isolated road project.
Umahi also disclosed that sections of the coastal highway in Ondo State had been redesigned because of difficult terrain, deep pits and challenging subsoil conditions, with filling and ground improvement works ongoing in some locations.
He further said 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.
According to him, the intervention would help address the effects of flooding and climate change, with critical sections of the East-West Road to be raised to accommodate present and anticipated flood levels.
The minister also highlighted the importance of the Benin City Bypass and other sections of the littoral corridor in reducing congestion and improving transportation across the South-South region.
On the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Umahi said the project was designed to create a major economic corridor linking Ilelah in Sokoto State with Badagry in Lagos State.
He said various sections were at different stages of construction, with significant progress recorded across the Sokoto, Kebbi, Oyo, Ogun and Badagry axes, while work on the Niger and Kwara sections would commence soon.
Umahi said the corridor was expected to unlock opportunities in agriculture, industry, tourism and other economic activities, adding that the Federal Government was exploring complementary investments in agriculture, housing, tourism and related sectors along the infrastructure corridors.
On the Trans-Saharan Route, the minister said the project was designed to strengthen connectivity between the coastal axis and northern Nigeria and facilitate the movement of people, goods and services across the South-South, South-East and North-Central zones.
He disclosed that substantial progress had been made on the initial sections, while additional sections had been approved to make the corridor more economically viable and attractive to potential financiers.
For the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri corridor, Umahi said the existing single carriageway was being expanded as a major northern connectivity route.
He added that the scope had been extended to include an additional Jos-Ibi spur in Taraba State, with design and procurement processes ongoing.
The minister also listed several completed or commissioning-ready projects across the country, including Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, Kaduna-Pambeguwa Road, Lafia Bypass and Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel.
Other projects mentioned included the Gombe-Potiskum rehabilitation project, sections of the Azare road linking Jigawa and Bauchi, the five-span Ampoha Bridge, the 23-kilometre, 23-span flyover project along the Ekpoma-Benin axis and a three-span, 75-metre dualised bridge structure.
Umahi further said sections of the Lagos-Badagry and Lagos-Ibadan, as well as the Lagos-Shagamu-Ore corridors, had been completed, while other sections were at advanced stages.
He said the Ministry was updating its compendium of completed and ongoing projects, which would subsequently be made available to the public.
The minister also defended the Ministry’s increasing adoption of concrete pavement on major highways, saying the policy was driven by the need for durability and reduced maintenance costs.
He maintained that properly designed and constructed concrete roads could provide longer service life and better value for public resources than conventional asphalt pavement.
On the procurement of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi said the Ministry followed the applicable procurement framework and explained that the special procurement approach was informed by the unique engineering requirements of constructing a major highway through difficult coastal terrain.
He said the Ministry identified the need for a contractor with proven experience in similar coastal infrastructure and subsequently made a recommendation to the Bureau of Public Procurement, which reviewed and cleared the process, while the Federal Executive Council remained the final approving authority.
Umahi said the contractor’s bid was also subjected to scrutiny by comparing proposed rates with prevailing market prices.
“We put everybody on the same platform. We sent the proposals to the Bureau of Public Procurement. They reviewed it and where they felt that the rates went beyond their expected maxima, they called our attention to it, and we reviewed the rates accordingly,” he said.
The minister disclosed that substantial progress had also been made on the outstanding sections of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, with all sections completed except the Jere-Kaduna portion, which was progressing.
He said the Ministry was installing solar-powered lighting along the 375-kilometre expressway to improve night visibility, safety and security.
Umahi also announced the commencement of an “Operation Rescue” on the Benin-Asaba Expressway following challenges associated with the road and its existing concession arrangement.
He said the Federal Government had intervened to restore mobility and was planning a comprehensive reconstruction of the entire alignment using continuously reinforced concrete pavement.
On infrastructure development in the South-East, Umahi said the Tinubu administration had demonstrated commitment to integrating the region into the national infrastructure development programme.
He cited the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, rehabilitation of the First Niger Bridge, and ongoing construction of major bypasses and other federal road projects as evidence of the government’s intervention.
“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,” he said.
The minister maintained that infrastructure development should be viewed from the perspective of national integration rather than regional politics, stressing that roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure were intended to benefit Nigerians across the country.
On projects inherited under the Tax-Credit Scheme, Umahi said the Federal Government had taken measures to address projects affected by the inability of some private-sector partners to sustain previously approved financing arrangements.
He warned contractors who had received mobilisation or project funds but failed to deploy them to the projects that the Ministry would take steps to recover the funds.
He also explained that measures were being implemented to improve traffic management and protect the structural integrity of the First Niger Bridge.
According to him, CCTV cameras and other security and traffic management infrastructure were being installed at the Asaba and Onitsha ends of the bridge, alongside remedial works, repainting and other maintenance activities.
Umahi said the Ministry’s road development strategy also incorporated environmental measures, including tree planting along major highways and the installation of solar-powered street lighting.
He linked the infrastructure programme to the broader economic reforms of the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying improved roads and connectivity would support agriculture, industrialisation, trade, tourism and investment.
On financing, the minister assured Nigerians that mechanisms had been put in place to ensure that the major legacy projects were adequately funded to completion.
He disclosed that substantial portions of the projects had already been funded, while loan-financing arrangements were being implemented for the remaining components.
“We don't start what we will not finish. And we will not finish what we have not started,” Umahi said.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to completing inherited projects while delivering new strategic infrastructure under the Tinubu administration.
Umahi said the legacy projects were not merely road construction schemes but long-term investments intended to improve connectivity, strengthen national integration and security, and create economic opportunities for Nigerians.
In his closing remarks, the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Aminu Ahmed, FCNA, thanked the minister, members of the media and other participants for attending the press conference.
He commended the media for its partnership with the Ministry in informing Nigerians about government infrastructure projects and encouraged continued constructive reporting on the Ministry’s activities.