ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has praised President Bola Tinubu for what he described as an unprecedented spread of infrastructure projects across the country, saying no geopolitical zone has been excluded from the administration’s development agenda.
Umahi said the President’s legacy road projects have not only addressed decades of infrastructure deficits but have also ended what he called the long-standing isolation and marginalisation of the Southeast.
The minister spoke on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the progress of road projects being executed under the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, the four flagship highway projects being undertaken by the Federal Government are strategically designed to connect all parts of the country, reduce travel time, stimulate commerce and boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product through improved transportation.
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He urged people of the South-East to acknowledge what he described as the President’s commitment to integrating the region into the nation’s economic and transportation network.
“The entire South-East should show deep appreciation to President Bola Tinubu. All the four legacy projects are interconnected and every geopolitical zone is involved,” Umahi said.
He listed the projects as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Trans-Sahara Highway and the Akwanga-Maiduguri Road, noting that together they form a nationwide transport corridor aimed at accelerating economic growth.
Providing an update on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the minister said Section One, stretching 47.47 kilometres from Victoria Island to Eleko, is progressing steadily and features dual carriageways with a 25-metre railway corridor at its median.
He disclosed that the highway has been officially named the President Bola Tinubu Coastal Highway, describing it as one of the administration’s landmark projects.
Umahi added that work on Section Two, which extends from Eleko to the Lagos-Ogun boundary, is about 60 per cent completed and is expected to be substantially finished before the end of November.
He explained that although bridge construction would continue beyond that period, the major carriageway works would have been completed.
The minister said engineers adopted wider bridge spans, particularly around the Dangote Refinery corridor, to accommodate the anticipated heavy movement of articulated trucks.
According to him, the project features bridge spans of up to 80 metres, significantly larger than the conventional 15-metre design used on many Nigerian highways.
On the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, Umahi said construction has recorded significant progress despite security challenges along parts of the corridor.
He revealed that the Ilela axis in Sokoto State is about 70 per cent completed, with ongoing installation of solar streetlights, closed-circuit television cameras and landscaping.
The Kebbi section, covering about 258 kilometres, has exceeded 40 per cent completion, with contractors maintaining round-the-clock work to accelerate delivery.
Umahi also highlighted the importance of the Trans-Sahara Highway, noting that the route passes through Ebonyi State and other parts of the Southeast, a development he described as historic for the region.
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“The Trans-Sahara Road passes through my state and the South-East. What we have been expecting has finally come to pass. It means full integration of the South-East into the national economy, and that is what this President has achieved,” he said.
The minister maintained that Tinubu’s infrastructure programme demonstrates fairness and inclusiveness, insisting that the President has shown equal commitment to every part of the country.
“We have a President who loves the entire nation. That is why he deserves the commendations he is receiving,” Umahi added.