Tinubu rebooting stalled infrastructure initiatives in South-East region, says Umahi

Under President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, major South-East road projects that date back to the colonial era but were abandoned are now being implemented, according to Sen. Dave Umahi, Minister of Works.

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Umahi made this statement on Saturday in Ebonyi, where he was conducting senior journalists and government officials on a tour of Federal Government projects in the state, as stated in a statement by Mr Tunde Rahman, Director of Media and Publicity, Renewed Hope Ambassadors, on Sunday.

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The Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway is one of the key projects expected to boost economic activities across the South-East, South-South, and parts of the North-Central region, with President Tinubu having revived this colonial-era dream, and construction now underway, earning the President immense gratitude from Umahi.

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Section One of the highway, initially designed to be 118 kilometres but later extended to 123.6 kilometres, is being constructed at a cost of N45 billion, with dualisation works progressing steadily, while Section Two, spanning Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa, has been awarded at a cost of N668 billion and has reached about 28 per cent completion in some sections.

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The adoption of concrete road technology by the Tinubu administration has enabled construction to continue despite the rainy season, according to Umahi, who also noted that the Trans-Sahara Superhighway will serve as an investment corridor, catalysing trade in agricultural produce such as cassava, yam, cashew, and palm oil from Cross River, Benue, and Ebonyi, and connecting Nigeria to Cameroon.

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Umahi expressed his appreciation to President Tinubu on behalf of the South-East for his commitment to inclusiveness and infrastructure development in the region, during the inspection tour, which included visits to major bridges and concrete pavement sections along the highway.

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The team, including the Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ebonyi, Maxwell Okoh, and Mohammed Mustafa, Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited, inspected the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi, which is expected to be completed by December 2026 and will link the state with Cross River.

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Umahi and the team also inspected the N35 billion Onueke Flyover project in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, designed to ease traffic congestion along the corridor, as well as the completed concrete-pavement link road connecting communities in Ebonyi and Cross River states.

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Gov. Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi commended President Tinubu for the ongoing infrastructure projects in the South-East and for the administration's commitment to national renewal, while receiving the media delegation in Abakaliki, and noted that his administration had sustained development projects across all local government areas of the state.

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Nwifuru stated that his administration had kept contractors busy in the state with projects spread across every local government area, including roads, primary healthcare centres, and water schemes, and maintained that Ebonyi remained one of the safest states in the country.

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According to Umahi, South-East governors and leaders will gather in Abakaliki on Monday for a rally to endorse President Tinubu for a second term, with Nwifuru leading the people of Ebonyi at the event in appreciation of the President's support for the state and the region.

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The National Media Tour is being organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team, with the South-East tour following an earlier inspection of Federal Government projects in the North-West zone, and the delegation will proceed to Enugu before visiting Abia, Anambra, and Imo states to inspect projects being executed under the Renewed Hope Agenda.