ABAKALIKI, Nigeria — Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has said that several major road projects in Nigeria’s South-East, originally conceived during the colonial era but abandoned for decades, are now being actualised under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Umahi made the remarks on Saturday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, while leading senior journalists and government officials on an inspection tour of ongoing federal infrastructure projects in the region.
According to the minister, the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue Trans-Sahara Superhighway is one of the landmark projects revived by the Tinubu administration to enhance connectivity and economic growth across the South-East, South-South and parts of the North-Central regions.
“This is a colonial-era dream that was long forgotten, but President Tinubu has revived it and construction is now underway. We must thank him immensely,” Umahi said.
He disclosed that Section One of the highway, originally designed as a 118-kilometre stretch, has been extended to 123.6 kilometres at a contract sum of ₦45 billion, with dualisation works currently in progress.
Umahi added that Section Two, which stretches from the Ebonyi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa State, has also been awarded at a cost of ₦668 billion.
The minister said construction has reached approximately 28 per cent completion in some sections despite the rainy season, attributing the progress to the administration’s adoption of concrete pavement technology.
“The Trans-Sahara Superhighway is not just a road; it is an investment corridor that will catalyse trade in agricultural produce such as cassava, yams, cashews and palm oil from Cross River, Benue and Ebonyi states, while also connecting Nigeria to Cameroon,” he said.
Umahi further stated that the South-East region is benefiting from an inclusive approach to national development under President Tinubu.
“All our forefathers sought was inclusiveness, and we have it now,” he said.
During the inspection, Umahi, alongside the Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ebonyi State, Engr. Maxwell Okoh, and the Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited, Mohammed Mustafa, visited key infrastructure sites, including major bridges along Section One of the superhighway and concrete pavement works in the Onueke axis.
The delegation also inspected the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, which links the state with Ugep in Cross River State and is expected to be completed by December 2026.
On the Onueke Flyover project, Umahi said the ₦35 billion infrastructure is designed to ease traffic congestion along the corridor. The flyover rises approximately 90 metres and is accompanied by 2.2 kilometres of access roads on both sides.
The team further inspected the completed concrete pavement link road connecting Ebonyi and Cross River states through the Okposi-Ukawu and Ugwulangu-Abaomege axis.
Meanwhile, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State said the state remains one of the safest in the country, claiming that no kidnapping incident has been recorded since he assumed office.
Receiving members of the media delegation in Abakaliki, Nwifuru commended President Tinubu for prioritising infrastructure development in the South-East and supporting ongoing development initiatives in Ebonyi State.
“We have kept contractors busy in the state with projects spread across every local government area, from rural roads to primary health centres and water schemes,” the governor said.
Nwifuru noted that road construction projects have become commonplace across the state due to the scale of ongoing infrastructure development.
South-East governors and political leaders are expected to converge in Abakaliki on Monday for a major rally in support of President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Umahi said Governor Nwifuru would lead the people of Ebonyi State at the event as a demonstration of appreciation for the President’s developmental efforts in the region.
The National Media Tour is organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team.
The South-East tour follows an earlier visit to the North-West region. The delegation is led by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare.
From Ebonyi, the team is scheduled to continue its inspection of Renewed Hope Agenda projects in Enugu, Abia, Anambra and Imo states.
