By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has announced that multiple road projects in Nigeria’s South East region—first conceived during the colonial era but abandoned for decades—are now being actualised under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking on Saturday in Ebonyi State during a tour of legacy projects with senior journalists and government officials, Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, highlighted the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as a strategic corridor for the South East, South South, and parts of the North Central region.
“It is a colonial-era dream long forgotten, but President Tinubu has revived it, and construction is now underway. We must thank him immensely,” Umahi said.
The minister reported steady progress on the project, noting that Section One, initially 118 kilometres, has been extended to 123.6 kilometres, with a contract sum of ₦45 billion. Dualisation works are ongoing.
Section Two, which runs from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi States to Nasarawa, has been awarded at ₦668 billion. Umahi said the project has reached about 28% completion in some areas, with work continuing through the rainy season due to President Tinubu’s adoption of concrete road technology.
“The Trans‑Sahara Superhighway is not just a road; it is an investment corridor that will catalyse trade in agricultural produce like cassava, yams, cashews, and palm oil from Cross River, Benue and Ebonyi, while also connecting Nigeria to Cameroon,” Umahi explained.
He noted that concrete road technology, pioneered by President Tinubu as governor, is now being deployed nationwide. Umahi expressed the South East’s gratitude for what he called an end to decades of exclusion. “All our forefathers sought—inclusiveness—we have it now,” he said.
During the tour, the team inspected critical bridges in Section One, concrete pavement on the Onueke section, and the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi, which links Ugep in Cross River State and is expected to be completed by December 2026.
The Onueke Flyover in Ebonyi’s Central Senatorial District, a ₦35 billion project, stands 90 metres high and is flanked by a 2.2-kilometre road on both sides, designed to decongest the highway.
Meanwhile, Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru declared that his state remains the safest in Nigeria, with no reported kidnapping cases since he assumed office. Receiving the media delegation in Abakaliki, Nwifuru thanked President Tinubu for his commitment to infrastructure development in the South East and highlighted numerous completed and ongoing projects across the state, including rural roads, primary health centres, and water schemes.
“We have kept contractors busy in the state with projects spread across every local government area. We do not even view the road projects as a big deal because we have road projects scattered all over the state,” Nwifuru said.
South East governors and leaders are scheduled to converge on Abakaliki on Monday for a major rally to endorse President Tinubu for a second term. Umahi said Governor Nwifuru would lead the people of Ebonyi State at the rally to show appreciation to the President.
The National Media Tour, organised by the Governor Hope Uzodimma-led Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team, will proceed from Ebonyi to Enugu State on Monday, and later to Abia, Anambra, and Imo States.
