President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate release of N111 billion for work to begin on the 125-kilometre Akwanga-Jos section of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Superhighway.
Works Minister David Umahi announced this on Wednesday during the project’s flag-off in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.
The minister said the President instructed that the funds should be released to the CGOC-CGC Joint Venture, the project’s contractor, to immediately mobilise to site.
‘Let me announce that the President has approved the immediate release of N111 billion to this contractor for a take-off.
‘The Minister of Finance sent me a letter and said: ‘Please, give us the original documents of the President’s approval so that we can pay.’ So, hold him responsible because he’s going to be paid this week.’
To underscore the strategic importance of the highway and the urgency attached to its delivery, President Tinubu described the project as a major step in the administration’s drive to strengthen road infrastructure, enhance regional connectivity, and stimulate economic development.
Represented by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the President said the superhighway is one of the administration’s four Renewed Hope Legacy Road Projects aimed at transforming Nigeria’s transport network.
According to him, the project will strengthen national integration, improve security, facilitate trade, and stimulate economic growth across the Northcentral and the Northeast.
The first phase covers about 125 kilometres, from Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Jos in Plateau State, and forms part of the planned 700-kilometre, six-lane continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) highway traversing Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno states.
Yilwatda hailed Umahi for his leadership in implementing the administration’s road infrastructure agenda, describing him as ‘the shining light of the Renewed Hope Administration’.
Umahi said the superhighway would improve connectivity, reduce travel time, enhance road safety, lower transportation costs, create jobs, and unlock the economic potential of communities along the corridor.
The minister explained that the Akwanga-Maiduguri Superhighway is one of four flagship highway corridors currently being executed by the Federal Government, alongside the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, and the Calabar-Abuja (Trans-Sahara) Superhighway.
According to him, the project underscores the government’s commitment to delivering strategic road infrastructure that promotes national integration, inclusive economic growth and improved living standards under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to using CRCP technology, saying it offers greater durability, lower maintenance costs and a lifespan of up to 100 years.
Umahi urged the contractor to deliver quality work and ensure that the host communities benefit through employment opportunities, skills acquisition and technology transfer.
The Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, said the superhighway would serve as a critical transport corridor linking the Northcentral and the Northeast, by boosting agriculture, commerce, investment and national security.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the project reflected the Federal Government’s investments in infrastructure and other sectors, noting that the administration’s reforms were yielding tangible results across the country.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described the project as evidence of the government’s commitment to inclusive development, saying infrastructure investments are being complemented by programmes supporting businesses, women and young people.
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule expressed gtratitude to President Tinubu for approving the project.
The governor noted that the project was being sited along a strategic national corridor to connect communities, expand commerce and attract investments.
On behalf of the states the superhighway runs through, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang said the kick-off of the project fulfilled a long-standing aspiration of the people of the region.
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Works, Rafiu Adeladan, said the project marked a new phase in highway development and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to quality delivery, transparency and value for money.
The Managing Director of CGC Nigeria Limited, Zhong Xiang, assured the Federal Government that the company would deliver the project safely, professionally, on schedule and in line with international standards.
Yilwatda also inaugurated the Akwanga Township Dual Carriageway and Underpass executed by the Nasarawa State government.
He hailed Governor Abdullahi Sule for complementing the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme through strategic investments in road development.