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The Minister of Works, Sen Engr Nweze David Umahi, on Friday reeled out the achievements so far recorded by President Bola Tinubu in road infrastructure in Nigeria since year 2023.
He spoke in Abuja during the Ministerial Press Briefing of his ministry at the Radio House.
Using the occasion to debunk the alleged plot to move Ministerial briefing to London, he commended President Tinubu for taking over many uncompleted road projects and starting new ones for the benefits of Nigerians and to boost the Nigerian economy and transportation.
According to him, the President has completed 279 road projects, including 19 major capital projects and 260 palliative interventions, within its first year in office.
Speaking further on the ongoing projects in the country, Sen Umahi said that President Tinubu inherited 2,604 major road projects valued at ₦13 trillion when he became President in May 2023.
The Minister pointed out that the current value of the projects have increased to almost ₦20 trillion due to policy decisions such as removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.
He continued “In addition to what we inherited, we initiated 65 new road projects and four transformative legacy projects.
"We have also completed 260 palliative road interventions valued at about ₦208 billion,” he stated.
According to him, President Tinubu directed the Ministry to re-prioritize and regionalize the existing projects in line with national economic corridors.
This, he said, led to the identification of 440 high-priority projects for review, and considering new economic realities and inflation in construction material costs.
“We have completed 19 inherited capital projects across all zones. For example, in Kano, the Yakassi Road and the 105-kilometre Hadejia Road are now in use.
“In Lagos, we have completed Section I of the Apapa-Oworonshoki-Ojota Expressway, a concrete road serving the Lagos Port, and extended the Third Mainland Bridge with CCTV coverage,” the Minister said.
He listed other completed projects in the country to include the 84-kilometre Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the reconstructed five-span Artisan Bridge in Enugu, the Angola Bridge, the Shendam Bridge in Plateau State, and the Jimeta Bridge in Adamawa, and delivering cross-border infrastructure, such as the Nigeria–Cameroon Bridge.
Most of the 260 palliative projects spread across the six geopolitical zones, the Minister said, have been completed, even though may appear small individually, are playing great roles in sustaining economic activity and interstate mobility in Nigeria.
“We’re seeing progress across all regions. For instance, in the South-South, the Lokoja–Benin Road is under construction across three segments handled by different contractors, including BUA and CCC.
“The terrain is challenging, and we have switched to reinforced concrete pavement to ensure durability,” he noted.
Sen Umahi disclosed that work is ongoing on the Benin–Auchi Road, which had previously suffered persistent gridlocks due to poor soil conditions.
According to him, one carriageway has been completed and is now in use, while work is ongoing on the second one.
He said that Section 2 of the East-West Road between Ahoada and Kaima is now at 75% completion, and to be commissioned by December.
The Minister said that the Calabar–Itu–Ikot Ekpene Road is also being reconstructed in phases, with major progress achieved by contractors such as HITECH and Reynolds.
A new reinforced concrete pavement, he said, is being used to redesign the Eleme Junction, which he pointed out is one of the most congested parts of the Port Harcourt area in Rivers State.
Speaking on the South-West, the Minister said the Federal Government has cleared 38.3 kilometres of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, with the first 10 kilometres almost completed.
He disclosed that Section I of the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, which was inherited by the current administration, has been completed, including major sections of the Seme–Badagry evacuation corridor.
Sen Umahi said that the North-West has also seen significant infrastructural development.
He spoke on the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Road, according to him, is being reconstructed in phases.
The Minister said Sections 1 and 3, covering 118 kilometres have been awarded for ₦252 billion, having solar-powered streetlights installed along the corridor.
According to him, about five kilometres of rigid pavement are already in use on the road.
The Minister went on to disclose that Section 2 covering128 kilometres has been redesigned and awarded at ₦525 billion due to the poor condition of the old route.
Speaking on the Sokoto–Zamfara–Katsina–Kaduna corridor, the Minister said that about 750 kilometres of roads are being handled by various contractors, including CBC, Setraco, and Mother cat.
The corridor, he said, is featuring rigid pavement to improve its longevity.
On the Sokoto–Illela Road, spanning 120 kilometres, Sen Umahi, said it has commenced with a contract value of ₦482 billion.
On the 47-year-old Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway initiated during the Shagari administration, he said, is finally taking shape.
According to him, the first section, 258 kilometres in Kebbi State, has been awarded at ₦958 million, while the second section is awaiting Federal Executive Council approval.
On the North-Central and North-East roads projects, Sen Umahi said that the previously dilapidated Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi road has been redesigned and re-awarded with rigid pavement to withstand heavy-duty traffic.
According to him, several completed bridges, including those in Shendam and Jimeta, have improved connectivity in the zones.
The Tinubu administration, he disclosed, is moving ahead with the legacy projects.
The Section 1 of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (7.4 kilometres with three lanes on each side), he said, is nearing completion.
Section 2 of the road, which stretches 55 kilometres, according to him, has been awarded at a cost of $1.3 billion and included multiple bridges.
This, he said, has already progressed with over seven kilometres.
The Minister also disclosed that the Ministry is also reviewing the future of Lagos’ aging Carter Bridge.
In this direction, he said, discussions already ongoing on whether to reconstruct it or full replacement.
He said “We are not only building new roads but also fixing old ones and reimagining our national transport grid. As the Chinese say, ‘If you want to make a country great, build roads,’ and that is what President Tinubu is doing,”
Speaking on the Ilesha-Ibadan road, Sen Umahi said it has been presented to the Federal Executive Council, stressing that it was the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, that first drew his attention to the state of the road.
He said “Because it’s a very bad situation. It is an inherited project by KOPEC. And today, the total amount, you know, that is allocated to this project from 2003 to 2025, is only ₦17 billion.
“And this whole stretch is to, you know, if an election. And then we have another project that is stretching from Ilesha to Akure to Benin. Which is awarded for ₦751 billion.
“And that is to HITECH. So, we’ve aggregated these two projects. It’s one stretch of the route.
“And we presented it to the Federal Executive Council for formal intervention of the new tool. And of course, we added Ore-Benin. And so, they are all settled together.
“And honestly, the roads are in a very terrible situation. What we have done is to ask for the available funds to use it and do palliative. While we secure permanent funds for the intervention.
“So, I want to assure you that I will not allow Mr. President to rest. Until he gives me money to reconstruct this road. And I will do it,” he stated.
The Minister revealed that the Ministry now follows the law strictly and move against any contractor who fails to mobilze to site within 30 days.
Umahi said “We’ve changed the approach to contractor mobilization. Previously, contractors hesitated to accept mobilization because the Procurement Act states that mobilization is optional.
“We now include clear terms in our contracts; if a contractor fails to mobilize within 30 days of signing, the project will be terminated.”
This approach, he said, has reduced delays in roads projects across the country.
Apart from encouraging more responsible bidding, the Minister said they must now demonstrate sufficient liquidity before being awarded certain projects.
“We are also classifying contractors to prevent mismatches in project scale and capacity,” he declared
He announced that the President Tinubu administration is also encouraging more local contractors to execute road projects in the country.
“We can’t continue to use foreign contractors to grow our economy. You go to China, you find out who is working. We have to grow our people’’.
“Let me also announce that Mr. President directed that we must grow the local contractors. Other countries grow their economies by using local talent, we must do the same.
“We have a programme which we call “The New Tool Programme’’, whereby in every state we are getting five civil engineers who are not at work, and we are posting them to these four legacy projects and other legacy projects of the country so that they can learn.
“That’s why we introduced the first concrete pavement technology. It’s durable and exposes any quality deficiencies immediately, unlike asphalt, which can temporarily mask poor workmanship.” he added
Debunking the alleged reports suggesting that himself and other ministers are planning to storm London, Sen Umahi “I have not been to London in the last two years. I have not discussed any such trips with anyone. I have too much work to do here in Nigeria.
“Let me make it clear, any foreign travel by a minister requires written approval from the President. These claims are entirely false and should be disregarded.”
Sen Umahi urged the public not to accepting such social media reports as he caution his critics to seek clarification before making unsubstantiated allegations.
“Even when I served as a governor, I never travelled out of the country without first obtaining the President’s permission. I operate strictly by the rule of law.” he stated