Tinubu’s legacy road projects will link all six geopolitical zones — Umahi

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has said that President Bola Tinubu’s four flagship road infrastructure projects are designed to connect Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones through an integrated transport network aimed at boosting economic growth, food security and regional development.

In a statement signed by Francis Nwaze, the Special Assistant to Umahi, disclosed that the Minister made this statement in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), led by Mrs Maimouna Sidibe, Head of the Basic Infrastructure Division, Department of Public Sector Corporations.

The delegation is currently conducting appraisal activities ahead of the approval of financing for Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway, one of the Federal Government’s major legacy infrastructure projects.

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Speaking during the meeting, the Minister explained that the four legacy road projects initiated by President Tinubu were strategically conceived as an interconnected national transportation loop.

“The entire four Legacy Projects of Mr President are interconnected in a loop,” Umahi said.

He explained that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is linked to the Trans-Sahara Super Highway through Ndibe Beach in Cross River State, creating a seamless transport corridor across multiple regions of the country.

According to him, Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway stretches 123.64 kilometres from Ndibe Beach to the Benue State border, while additional sections covering Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa states have already been awarded.

Umahi described the route as a historically significant trade and agricultural corridor that remains vital to Nigeria’s food production and distribution network.

“It has long existed and remains a major food corridor. It is critical to food sufficiency in our country,” he said.

The Minister noted that the highway would connect major agricultural hubs in Cross River, Ebonyi, and Benue states and significantly reduce travel time between Calabar and Abuja.

“This route will shorten travel time from Calabar to Abuja to about four hours. It is therefore a very important corridor,” he stated.

He further disclosed that the Federal Government plans to leverage existing dams along the corridor for irrigation and renewable energy projects, creating opportunities for industrial development, investments, and employment.

“There are many benefits to this project. Beyond tolling and corridor development for investment returns, it will generate numerous jobs, both direct and indirect. There will be factories along the corridor, power projects and significant traffic volumes on the road,” Umahi added.

The Minister also explained that the Trans-Saharan Super Highway would connect with another legacy project through the Abuja-Akwanga corridor, extending to Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Biu, and Maiduguri.

He revealed that the recently inaugurated Gombe-Biu section covers 125 kilometres and is being developed as a six-lane carriageway, while procurement processes for the Bauchi-Gombe section are ongoing.

Umahi further outlined plans to connect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway through a new alignment beginning from Victoria Island and passing through a 3.5-kilometre tunnel, Ogogoro Island and Snake Island before reaching Badagry.

“When you look at all of this on a map, you see a loop. All the geopolitical zones are included.

“If you start from Sokoto, you can access all six geopolitical zones within two days. It is a remarkable development,” he said.

The Minister commended the contractor handling Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway, stating that construction progress had already surpassed 20 per cent completion.

He stressed the need to expedite the loan approval process to support ongoing construction activities.

“My concern is that we need to fast-track the loan component because once they reach 30 per cent completion, payments will become necessary,” he said.

Umahi described the visit by the EBID delegation as timely and praised the regional financial institution for its commitment to supporting the project.

Earlier, the leader of the EBID mission, Mrs Maimouna Sidibe, reaffirmed the bank’s readiness to finance the project, describing it as a priority infrastructure investment.

“We are very honoured to contribute to the financing of this very important project, which was submitted last week to our first credit committee,” she said.

Sidibe disclosed that the project had already received favourable consideration from the bank’s first credit committee and had advanced to the appraisal stage.

According to her, the delegation’s visit includes consultations with relevant government agencies as well as site inspections to evaluate project implementation, environmental standards, and social safeguards.

She stated that the project is expected to move to the second credit committee next week before being presented to the Board of Executive Directors in early July for final approval.

Sidibe also commended the Federal Government for demonstrating commitment to the project through the payment of counterpart funding obligations.

“The project is of top priority for the administration, and that is why the administration has already paid 30 per cent of the counterpart funding,” she noted.

She expressed satisfaction with the quality of work already executed and praised the road construction technology being deployed on the project.

“The members of the credit committees said that this technology is very good and already experienced on the Lagos-Calabar project, and the road lifespan will be at least 50 years,” she added.

Members of the EBID delegation included Mathieu Anno, Head of Environment and Sustainability Unit; Onimisi Aliyu, Financial Analyst; Blaghe Dougah, Head of ESG Department at Sky Capital Europe; and Sheka Humphrey of Influence International, the project contractor.