Minister of Works Dave Umahi says President Bola Tinubu’s administration is implementing road projects in the South-East that were conceived many years ago but never completed.
Minister Umahi said this on Sunday in Ebonyi State while leading senior journalists and government officials on an inspection tour of infrastructure projects being carried out under the federal government.
According to him, one of the projects is the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Sahara Superhighway, which he said will connect parts of the South-East, South-South and North-Central regions.
“It is a colonial-era dream long forgotten, but President Tinubu has revived it, and construction is now underway,” Umahi said.
The minister said work is ongoing on section one of the project, which has been extended from 118 kilometres to 123.6 kilometres, with a contract valued at N45 billion.
He added that section two of the road, stretching from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa State, has been awarded at a cost of N668 billion.
Dave Umahi said some sections of the project have reached 28 percent completion, adding that construction has continued during the rainy season through the use of concrete road technology.
He said the highway is expected to improve movement of agricultural produce including cassava, yam, cashew and palm oil from Cross River, Benue and Ebonyi states, while also linking Nigeria with Cameroon.
During the inspection, the delegation visited parts of section one of the highway, including bridges under construction and the Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, which connects the state with Cross River State.
The team also inspected the Onueke Flyover project in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, which Umahi said is being built to reduce traffic congestion on the highway.
Meanwhile, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State thanked President Tinubu for infrastructure projects being carried out in the South-East.
Governor Nwifuru said contractors are currently handling projects across all local government areas in the state, including road construction, primary healthcare centres and water projects.
South-East governors and political leaders are expected to gather in Abakaliki on Monday for a rally in support of Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The media tour was organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team and will continue in Enugu, Abia, Anambra and Imo states.
