Umahi Reveals How Abandoned Colonial-Era South East Road Projects Are Finally Taking Shape Under Tinubu

Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has said that several major road projects conceived during the colonial era but abandoned for decades are finally becoming reality under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Umahi spoke in Ebonyi State on Saturday while conducting senior journalists and government officials on an inspection tour of ongoing federal infrastructure projects across the South East, describing the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as one of the landmark projects being revived by the current administration.

According to him, the highway represents a long-forgotten vision that successive governments failed to execute until the advent of 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.

The minister disclosed that significant progress has been recorded on the project, noting that Section One, initially designed to cover 118 kilometres, has now been extended to 123.6 kilometres and awarded at a cost of N45 billion, while dualisation works are already in progress.

He further revealed that Section Two of the project, stretching from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi states to Nasarawa State, has also been awarded at a cost of N668 billion.

Providing an update on construction activities, Umahi said portions of the project have attained about 28 per cent completion despite the rainy season, attributing the pace of work to the adoption of concrete pavement 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,” he stated.

The minister said the concrete road technology, which he noted was pioneered by President Tinubu during his tenure as governor, is now being deployed on critical road projects across the country.

Umahi also expressed appreciation on behalf of the South East, saying the region is witnessing a new era of inclusion through federal infrastructure investments.

“All our forefathers sought—inclusiveness—we have it now,” he said.

During the inspection tour, Umahi, alongside the Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ebonyi State, Engr. Maxwell Okoh, and the Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited, Mohammed Mustafa, inspected major bridges and pavement sections along the superhighway corridor.

The delegation also visited the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, which links communities in Ebonyi and Cross River states and is expected to be completed by December 2026.

At the Onueke Flyover project in Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, the minister explained that the N35 billion infrastructure is designed to ease traffic congestion along the busy highway corridor. 

He noted that the flyover rises about 90 metres and is accompanied by 2.2 kilometres of approach roads on both sides.

The team equally inspected the 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 section leading into Cross River State.

Meanwhile, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State commended President Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to infrastructure renewal and development in the South East and across the country.

Receiving members of the media delegation in Abakaliki, the governor highlighted several projects being undertaken by his administration, including road construction, healthcare facilities and water schemes 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. We do not even view the road projects as a big deal because we have road projects scattered all over the state,” Nwifuru said.

The governor also declared that Ebonyi remains one of the safest states in the country, stating that no kidnapping incident has been recorded since he assumed office.

The inspection tour forms part of the National Media Tour organised by the Hope Uzodimma-led Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team. Following the Ebonyi visit, the delegation is expected to proceed to Enugu, Abia, Anambra and Imo states to assess ongoing projects being executed under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

This version follows a classic Vanguard-style structure: strong lead, heavy use of quotes, detailed project figures, and a development-focused narrative.