Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has stated that several road projects for the South-East region, originally conceived during the colonial era but left unrealised for decades, are now being brought to life under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Tour of Legacy Projects
Speaking on Saturday in Ebonyi State, while conducting senior journalists and government officials on a tour of the administration’s legacy projects, Umahi, former Governor of Ebonyi State, highlighted the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as a project of strategic importance to the South-East, South-South, and parts of the North Central region.
“It is a colonial-era dream long forgotten, but Tinubu has revived it, and construction is now underway. We must thank him immensely,” he said.
Project Progress
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 N45 billion, and that dualisation works are ongoing. According to Umahi, Section Two, which runs from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa, has also been awarded at a cost of N668 billion.
He noted that the project has reached about 28 per cent completion in some areas, with work continuing even during the rainy season, thanks to the President’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 the concrete road technology pioneered by Tinubu as governor is now being deployed nationwide. Umahi expressed the gratitude of the South-East to the President for ending decades of exclusion, stating, “all our forefathers sought inclusiveness, we have it now.”
Inspection of Bridges and Flyover
During the tour, the team, including Umahi, the acting Federal Controller in Ebonyi State, Maxwell Okoh, and the Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited (the contractor for the Calabar-Abuja Trans-Sahara Superhighway), Mohammed Mustafa, inspected critical bridges in Section One and the concrete pavement on the Onueke section.
They also inspected the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Council, Ebonyi, which links Ugep in Cross River State and is expected to be completed by December 2026.
Regarding the Onueke Flyover in Ebonyi’s Central Senatorial District, Umahi noted that the N35 billion project is designed to decongest the highway. The flyover stands 90 metres high and is flanked by a 2.2-kilometre road on both sides.
Political Implications
Umahi, at the weekend, said that with the kind and quality of projects going on in the South-East, President Bola Tinubu will win a landslide in the zone, noting that other presidential candidates of opposition parties for next year’s general election cannot match President Bola Tinubu in terms of performance.
Umahi made the claim in Onueke Ezza South Council of Ebonyi State when he led the Renewed Hope Media Team to inspect ongoing federal government projects across Ebonyi State. He further revealed that Francis Nwifuru will lead the state to appreciate and endorse the President as the sole candidate of the state for the 2027 general election.
