Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the legacy infrastructure projects being executed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration will stimulate economic growth, boost agricultural productivity, attract investments and improve the quality of life of Nigerians.
Umahi spoke on Saturday during an inspection of major federal government projects in Ebonyi State by the Presidential Communications Team as part of the ongoing Renewed Hope Media Tour across the South-East geopolitical zone.
The media team, led by Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, undertook an extensive tour of strategic federal and state government projects to showcase the impact of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and complementary development initiatives of the Ebonyi State Government.
Other members of the delegation included Presidential Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, alongside several presidential aides on media, publicity, digital communications and public engagement.
The delegation’s first stop was the Government House in Abakaliki, where Onanuga said the media tour was designed to provide Nigerians with a firsthand assessment of projects being implemented under the Tinubu administration while also highlighting the collaboration between the Federal Government and state governments in delivering development dividends.
A statement issued on Sunday morning by the State House Director of Information and Public Relations, Abiodun Oladunjoye, said Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru welcomed the delegation and assured members of adequate security throughout the inspection exercise.
Nwifuru also commended President Tinubu for his commitment to infrastructure development in the South-East, particularly in Ebonyi State, as well as the administration’s broader national renewal programme.
Accompanied by Umahi, Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ebonyi State, Engr. Maxwell Okoh, and Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited, Mohammed Mustafa, the team inspected ongoing construction works on the Calabar-Abuja Trans-Sahara Super Highway, including the 90-metre link bridge in Section One and concrete pavement works on the Onueke axis of the project.
The delegation also visited the 1.3-kilometre Ndi-Egbe Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, which links the state with Cross River State and is expected to be completed by December 2026.
The Calabar-Abuja Trans-Sahara Super Highway, a flagship project of the Tinubu administration, is designed to connect Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Providing details of the project, Umahi explained that the original scope of Section One covered 118 kilometres of a single carriageway but was later reviewed to accommodate both lanes of the 123.6-kilometre stretch at a cost of N445 billion.
He added that the procurement process for the dualised component of the highway was already underway, while Section Two would extend from the Ebonyi border through Benue and Kogi states to the Loko-Oweto Bridge in Nasarawa State, covering another 123.6 kilometres.
According to the minister, the project has recorded more than 28 per cent completion despite the challenges posed by the rainy season.
‘We are utilising concrete technology for durability,’ Umahi said.
The team also inspected a completed section of the concrete pavement link road connecting Ebonyi and Cross River states, stretching from Okposi-Ukawu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State to Ugwulangu-Abaomege in Cross River State.
Speaking on the broader benefits of the administration’s infrastructure programme, Umahi said the projects were designed not only to improve transportation but also to unlock economic opportunities across the country.
He noted that the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway corridor would feature more than 73 dams to support irrigation farming and strengthen agricultural production, while the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other strategic road projects would improve connectivity and attract investment.
The minister stressed that the infrastructure projects inspected in Ebonyi reflected the determination of the Tinubu administration to stimulate economic activities, create jobs and improve living standards through sustained investments in critical sectors of the economy.