Tinubu's Infrastructure Push: Umahi Hails Revival of Decades-Old South-East Road Projects
Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, announced the revival of colonial-era road projects under President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, including the strategic Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway. This ambitious project, utilizing concrete pavement technology, aims to transform economic activities and connectivity across the South-East, South-South, and North-Central regions. The tour also highlighted Ebonyi State's safety and development strides under Governor Nwifuru, with South-East leaders set to endorse Tinubu for a second term.
Several major road projects, some conceived during the colonial era and abandoned for decades, are now being actualized under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. This was disclosed by the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, during an inspection tour of ongoing federal infrastructure projects across the South-East, where he was accompanied by senior journalists and government officials. The minister specifically highlighted the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as a strategic project set to transform economic activities across the South-East, South-South, and parts of the North-Central region, serving as a long-forgotten colonial vision finally being implemented.
Umahi expressed immense gratitude to President Tinubu for reviving this colonial-era dream. He provided updates on the project, stating that Section One, initially designed as a 118-kilometre stretch, has been extended to 123.6 kilometres with a contract value of N45 billion, and dualization works are progressing steadily. Section Two, stretching from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa State, covering 123.6 kilometres to the Loko-Oweto Bridge, has been awarded at a cost of N668 billion to Infiouest International Limited. Despite the rainy season, some sections of the project have attained about 28 percent completion, a progress attributed to the adoption of concrete pavement technology.
Describing the superhighway as an vital economic corridor, Umahi explained that it will facilitate trade in agricultural commodities such as cassava, yam, cashew, and palm oil from states like Cross River, Benue, and Ebonyi, while also enhancing connectivity between Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon. He proudly noted that the concrete road technology being deployed nationwide was first pioneered by President Tinubu during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State. Umahi also conveyed the South-East's appreciation to the President for fostering greater inclusiveness in federal infrastructure development, remarking that