The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has said that several major road projects in the South East, originally conceived during the colonial era but left unrealised for decades, are now being implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Umahi made the remarks on Saturday in Ebonyi State while leading a delegation of senior journalists and government officials on an inspection tour of key infrastructure projects being executed by the Federal Government across the region.
The minister highlighted the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as one of the flagship projects aimed at transforming transportation, trade, and economic activities across the South East, South South, and parts of the North Central region.
According to him, the highway project represents a long-abandoned colonial-era vision that has now been revived by the Tinubu administration.
“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.
He disclosed that Section One of the highway, originally designed to cover 118 kilometres, has been extended to 123.6 kilometres with a contract value of ₦45 billion. He added that dualisation works are progressing steadily.
Umahi further revealed that Section Two of the project, stretching from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa State, has been awarded at a cost of ₦668 billion.
The minister noted that work on the project has attained approximately 28 per cent completion in some areas despite the rainy season, attributing the progress to the adoption of concrete pavement technology by the Federal Government.
Describing the project as more than a transportation corridor, Umahi said it would serve as a major economic route connecting agricultural hubs and facilitating regional trade.
“The Trans-Sahara Superhighway is not just a road; it is an investment corridor that will catalyse trade in agricultural produce such as cassava, yam, cashew, and palm oil from Cross River, Benue, and Ebonyi states, while also linking Nigeria to Cameroon,” he said.
He also praised President Tinubu for promoting inclusiveness and addressing infrastructure gaps in the South East.
“All our forefathers sought—inclusiveness—we have it now,” the minister stated.
During the inspection tour, the delegation visited key infrastructure sites, including major bridges along Section One of the highway and the concrete pavement works at Onueke in Ebonyi State. The team also inspected the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area, which connects Ebonyi and Cross River states and is expected to be completed by December 2026.
The delegation further assessed ongoing construction at the Onueke Flyover project in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District. Umahi said the ₦35 billion project is designed to ease traffic congestion along the highway corridor and features a flyover standing about 90 metres high with 2.2-kilometre access roads on both sides.
They also inspected a completed concrete pavement link road connecting communities in Ebonyi and Cross River states, including the Okposi-Ukawu axis in Ohaozara Local Government Area and the Ugwulangu-Abaomege corridor in Cross River State.
Meanwhile, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to security and development, declaring that the state remains one of the safest in the country.
Speaking while receiving the visiting delegation in Abakaliki, the governor said there had been no reported kidnapping incidents in the state since he assumed office.
Nwifuru also commended President Tinubu for his support for infrastructure development in the South East and for projects being executed in Ebonyi State.
He highlighted ongoing investments in rural roads, primary healthcare centres, water supply schemes, and other development initiatives spread across the state’s local government areas.
“We have kept contractors busy in the state with projects spread across every local government area, from rural roads to primary health centres and water schemes,” the governor said.
The visit formed part of the National Media Tour organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team.
The delegation, led by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, is touring states across the South East to inspect projects executed under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Following the Ebonyi visit, the team is scheduled to continue the tour in Enugu, Abia, Anambra, and Imo states. The regional inspection follows an earlier tour of projects in the North West.
