By MyEngineers
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has declared that several critical road projects in the South-East region, which were conceived during the colonial era but abandoned for decades by successive administrations, are finally being actualised under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Senator Umahi, the immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State, made this disclosure on Saturday while leading a high-powered delegation of senior journalists and top government officials on an inspection tour of the administration’s legacy infrastructure projects across Ebonyi State.
Speaking during the tour, the Minister singled out the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway as a milestone project of immense strategic importance, designed to seamlessly link the South-East, South-South, and North-Central geopolitical zones.
“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 stated, praising the President’s political will.
Steady Mobilisation and Concrete Revolution
Providing a technical breakdown of the progress on the Trans-Saharan Superhighway, the Minister reported steady mobilization on site. He revealed that Section One, which was initially designed to span 118 kilometres, has been expanded to 123.6 kilometres under a contract sum of ₦45 billion, with dualisation works currently ongoing.
Similarly, Section Two, which stretches from the Aboadi border through Benue and Kogi States down to Nasarawa State, has been awarded at the cost of ₦668 billion.
Despite the onset of the heavy rainy season, Senator Umahi noted that the project has hit an impressive 28% completion rate in several areas. He attributed the uninterrupted pace of work to President Tinubu’s enforcement of rigid concrete road technology, a durable pavement method the President pioneered during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State and is now replicating nationwide.
“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,” the Minister explained.
Expressing the profound appreciation of the region to the Commander-in-Chief, Umahi declared that the current administration has effectively corrected decades of infrastructural marginalisation. “All our forefathers sought—inclusiveness—we have it now,” he affirmed.
On-the-Spot Assessment of Legacy Links
The inspection team—which included the Minister; the Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ebonyi State, Engr. Maxwell Okoh; and Mohammed Mustafa, the Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited (the construction firm handling the project)—carried out a rigorous assessment of critical structures along the route.
Key sites inspected include:
The Ndi-Egbe Bridge: A 1.3-kilometre bridge structure in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State linking Ugep in Cross River State. The bridge is on track for completion by December 2026.
The Onueke Flyover: Located in Ebonyi’s Central Senatorial District, this ₦35 billion mega-structure stands 90 metres high and is flanked by a 2.2-kilometre approach road on either side, engineered specifically to decongest heavy vehicular traffic on the highway.
Inter-State Concrete Links: The completed rigid concrete pavement linking Okposi-Ukawu in Oha-Zara LGA of Ebonyi State to Ugwulangu-Abaomege in Ugep, Cross River State.
While receiving the media and presidential delegation at the Government House in Abakaliki, the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Right Honourable Francis Nwifuru, commended President Tinubu for his unalloyed commitment to the infrastructural renewal of the South-East zone.
Governor Nwifuru used the occasion to highlight his administration’s massive investments in grassroots development, stating that contractors have been kept busy with rural road networks, primary health centres, and potable water schemes across all local government areas.
“We do not even view the road projects as a big deal because we have road projects scattered all over the state,” Nwifuru asserted.
The Governor also made a bold declaration regarding the security architecture of the state, naming Ebonyi as the safest state in the federation, backed by a zero-case record of kidnapping since his assumption of office.
South-East Leaders Set for Mega Rally to Endorse Tinubu
Ahead of the political calendar, Senator Umahi dropped a hint of an upcoming major political alignment in the region. He disclosed that South-East governors, apex socio-cultural groups, and political stakeholders are scheduled to converge on Abakaliki on Monday for a mammoth solidarity rally to formally endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in office.
The Minister added that Governor Nwifuru will lead the mobilization of the Ebonyi populace to show appreciation for the President’s milestones, urging citizens to completely disregard the “rantings of opposition politicians” who cannot match Tinubu’s verifiable scorecard.
The ongoing South-East inspection is the second leg of the National Media Tour, following the successful conclusion of the North-West regional tour. The initiative is organized by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, chaired by Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team.
The high-level delegation is jointly led by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, and Chief Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications.
Other notable members of the presidential media contingent include: Tunde Rahman, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media; Tope Ajayi, SSA on Media and Publicity; Otega Ogra, SSA on Digital and New Media; Segun Dada, Special Assistant on Social Media; Linda Akhigbe & Fred Nwabufo, SSAs on Strategic Communications; Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai & Barr. Chioma Nweze, SSAs on Community Engagement; Dare Olude, SSA on Job Creation.
Following the conclusion of the Ebonyi state assessment, the media delegation is expected to move to Enugu State on Monday, before proceeding to Abia, Anambra, and Imo States to conclude the tracking of Renewed Hope legacy projects in the zone.