In a major push to overhaul Nigeria’s transportation network, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the construction, dualisation, and rehabilitation of 27 critical road projects valued at over ₦3.9 trillion.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, made the blockbuster announcement while briefing State House correspondents following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The massive infrastructural rollout spans 15 states across the federation, targeting heavily congested commercial corridors and failing federal highways in Adamawa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba, and Yobe.
A primary highlight of the fresh approvals is the rescoping and re-award of the 409-kilometre dual carriageway project in Niger State. Valued at ₦1.8 trillion, the contract was transferred to the Dangote Group under the Federal Government’s Tax Credit Scheme after the previous contractor failed to deliver.
“We lost a lot of people there. Mr. President said we should allow Dangote, who has major investments along that corridor, to do it,” Umahi explained.
The Council also approved the full business case for the operation and maintenance concession of the strategic Lagos-Ibadan Expressway under a modified Swiss Challenge procurement model.
The President also ordered that all failed sections along the Ibadan axis be reconstructed using reinforced concrete pavement technology to ensure maximum durability.
The multi-trillion naira approvals include massive regional interventions across the country. Major allocations feature ₦276 billion for the dualisation of the Ilorin-Ogbomoso Road, ₦265 billion for the reconstruction of the Iseyin-Eruwa-Agbesi Road in Oyo and Kwara States, and ₦217 billion for the dualisation of the old alignment from Ijaye to FGC to Ilorin Road, which includes a spur to Akinmorin.
In the South-East, the government earmarked ₦116 billion for the 21km Abakaliki-Afikpo Road in Ebonyi State and ₦86 billion for the reconstruction of the Enugu-Abakaliki Road, which will feature a brand-new flyover. South-West connections also received significant boosts, including ₦110 billion for the Ogbomoso-Oko-Illupu Road spanning Oyo and Osun States, ₦98 billion for the 30km Idi-Araba-Ayede-Olodo Road, and ₦34 billion for the 18km Ikere-Ekiti-Ijare Road linking Ekiti and Ondo States.
Interstate commerce corridors across the North and Middle Belt are heavily accommodated in this deployment. The rehabilitation of sections 1 and 2 of the Ilorin-Omorin-Ebe-Kabba-Obajana Road in Kwara and Kogi States takes ₦104 billion, while the rehabilitation of the Baban-Lamba-Sharan phase 2 Road in Plateau State receives ₦92 billion.
₦86 billion also goes to the Adikpo-Ajayi-Tese-Akpa-Otukpo Road connecting Benue and Cross River States, ₦71 billion goes to the 52km Dabban-Makina Road in Niger State, and ₦62.99 billion is allocated to the Tungo-Karamti Road with five bridges between Adamawa and Taraba States.
Additional projects include the Jimeta-Mayo Belwa Road in Adamawa (₦83 billion), the rehabilitation and construction of the Igbeti and Igbeti-Soro-Kishi roads in Oyo (₦82 billion and ₦74 billion respectively), and the phase 2 Yola-Fufore-Gurin Road project covering 20km (₦15.246 billion) following the completion of its first phase. Urban and safety infrastructure updates feature ₦26 billion for a new flyover on the ongoing Trans-Sahara Road, ₦21 billion for a flyover bridge at the Oko-Olowo Junction in Kwara, ₦24.7 billion for the Kabba-Ifaki-Ado Ekiti Road, ₦15.7 billion for Lagos State’s Pacific Road linking Igbe Laara to Ikorodu, ₦15.5 billion for the 13km Badeku-Jaiye Road in Oyo, and a ₦15 billion augmentation for the 32.2-kilometre road project in Gashua, Yobe State.
Beyond the new approvals, Senator Umahi provided a vital progress report on the critical Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway.
He revealed that the first 118-kilometre section of the highway valued at ₦137 billion has been completely finished. Commuters can look forward to full relief soon, as the Ministry expects the remaining 164-kilometre section to be fully completed by November.
According to the Ministry of Works, these aggressive investments are intentionally structured to boost interstate commerce, radically lower travel times, and drastically minimize the frequent accidents caused by broken-down corridors across the nation.