The Federal Government says its major infrastructure projects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are designed to transform Nigeria’s transportation network, strengthen national connectivity and stimulate economic growth.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at a press conference where he gave updates on the administration’s four legacy road projects, ongoing federal road interventions, completed projects and procurement processes.
The four projects are the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Highway, also known as the Trans-Saharan Route, and the dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road.
Umahi said the projects were conceived as strategic national infrastructure to connect the six geopolitical zones, facilitate the movement of people and goods and unlock economic opportunities.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the minister said the first 47-kilometre section had been completed, while significant progress had been recorded on the second section, covering about 55 kilometres.
He said pavement works on the second section were nearing completion, with major flyovers, overpasses and underpasses under construction to address traffic, environmental and engineering challenges along the corridor.
Umahi explained that parts 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.
He said the objective was to create an integrated transportation system rather than an isolated road project.
The minister also disclosed that President Tinubu had directed that the continuation of the coastal highway be aligned with the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta.
According to him, the intervention would address the increasing effects of flooding and climate change, with critical sections of the East-West Road to be raised to accommodate current and anticipated flood levels.
On the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Umahi said the project would create a major economic corridor linking Ilelah in Sokoto State with Badagry in Lagos State.
He said various sections of the highway were at different stages of construction, with progress recorded in Sokoto, Kebbi, Oyo, Ogun and Badagry, while work in Niger and Kwara states would commence soon.
He said the corridor would unlock opportunities in agriculture, industry, tourism and other sectors, adding that the government was exploring complementary investments, including housing and agriculture, along the major infrastructure corridors.
Speaking on the Trans-Saharan Route, Umahi 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 said 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.
On the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road, the minister said the single carriageway was being expanded as a major northern connectivity route.
He added that the scope had been extended to include a spur from Jos to Ibi in Taraba State, with design and procurement processes ongoing.
Umahi also listed several major road and bridge projects completed or ready for commissioning, including the Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, Kaduna-Pambeguwa Road, Lafia Bypass and Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel.
Other projects, he said, included the Gombe-Potiskum rehabilitation project, sections of the Azare road linking Jigawa and Bauchi, the five-span Ampoha Bridge and the 23-kilometre, 23-span flyover on the Ekpoma-Benin axis.
He said sections of the Lagos-Badagry and Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos-Shagamu-Ore corridors had also been completed, while other sections were at advanced stages.
“We have quite a lot of projects. We have completed projects and we have ongoing projects. We are updating the compendium and it will be made available on the Ministry’s website and circulated to the public,” Umahi said.
The minister also defended the government’s increasing adoption of concrete pavement on major highways, saying it was aimed at improving durability and reducing maintenance costs.
He said the Ministry was developing infrastructure intended to serve Nigerians for several decades and provide better value for public resources.
On the procurement of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi said the Ministry followed the applicable procurement framework and that the special procurement approach was necessitated by the unique engineering requirements of constructing a major highway through difficult coastal terrain.
He said the Ministry recommended a contractor with experience in similar coastal infrastructure to the Bureau of Public Procurement, which reviewed and cleared the recommendation, while the Federal Executive Council remained the final approving authority.
According to him, proposed contract rates were scrutinised against prevailing market prices, with both local and foreign contractors subjected to the same evaluation principles.
“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.
Umahi further disclosed that substantial progress had been made on the outstanding sections of 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 and enhance safety and security.
The minister 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 while plans were being developed for comprehensive reconstruction of the entire alignment using continuously reinforced concrete pavement.
Umahi said Nigerians should not continue to suffer because of unresolved contractual or concession-related issues.
He also highlighted increased infrastructure investment in the South-East, saying the Tinubu administration was committed to reintegrating the zone 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 commitment.
“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.
On inherited Tax-Credit Scheme projects, 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 received mobilisation or project funds but failed to deploy them to the projects that the Ministry would take steps to recover the funds.
The minister said accountability, performance and value for money remained central to the Ministry’s infrastructure delivery strategy.
On the First Niger Bridge, Umahi said the government was introducing measures to improve traffic management and protect the structural integrity of the bridge.
He said traffic management infrastructure, CCTV cameras and other security measures were being installed at the Asaba and Onitsha ends of the bridge, while remedial works, repainting and other maintenance activities were also ongoing.
He explained that bridges were designed primarily for dynamic rather than static loads, warning that prolonged traffic gridlock could create additional structural and safety challenges.
The minister also said the Federal Government’s road development strategy included environmental measures such as tree planting and solar-powered street lighting along major highways.
According to him, the measures would improve visibility, provide shade, enhance the environment and contribute to reducing harmful emissions along major transport corridors.
Umahi 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, 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 said.
Umahi said the Federal Government remained committed to completing inherited projects while delivering new strategic infrastructure, stressing that the legacy projects were long-term investments in economic growth, national integration, security and job creation.
