Umahi: FG Won’t Start What It Cannot Finish .... Says Tinubu’s legacy projects transforming Nigeria’s infrastructure

.... Reiterates that the legacy projects were not merely road construction schemes but long-term investments aimed at transforming Nigeria's economic landscape, strengthening connectivity and national security, and creating opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

Nigeria's Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has said the Federal Government will not embark on infrastructure projects without credible financing arrangements to ensure their completion.

Umahi stated this yesterday in Abuja at a press conference where he provided updates on the four legacy road projects of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, ongoing and completed federal road projects, procurement processes and measures to ensure value for money.

He identified the four legacy projects as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Highway, also known as the Trans-Saharan Route, and the dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road.

According to him, the projects are strategic national investments designed to link the six geopolitical zones, facilitate the movement of people and goods, stimulate economic activities and strengthen national integration.

“We don't start what we will not finish. And we will not finish what we have not started,” the minister declared, assuring Nigerians that significant portions of the projects had already been funded while loan-financing arrangements were being implemented for the remaining components.

On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi disclosed that the 47-kilometre Section 1 had been completed, while substantial progress had been made on the approximately 55-kilometre Section 2.

He said pavement works on Section 2 were nearing completion, with major flyovers, overpasses and underpasses under construction to address complex traffic, environmental and engineering challenges along the route.

The minister explained that sections of the alignment had been redesigned to accommodate existing and planned rail, road and industrial infrastructure, particularly around the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport axis.

He said the redesign was aimed at creating an integrated transportation system rather than an isolated road project.

Umahi also disclosed that President Tinubu had directed that the continuation of the coastal highway be aligned with the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta.

He said critical sections of the East-West Road would be raised to withstand present and anticipated flood levels, describing the measure as a strategic response to flooding and climate change.

On the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, the minister said the project was designed to establish a major economic corridor linking Ilelah in Sokoto State to Badagry in Lagos State.

He said various sections were at different stages of construction, with significant progress recorded across the Sokoto, Kebbi, Oyo, Ogun and Badagry axes, while work on the Niger and Kwara sections would commence soon.

According to him, the corridor would unlock opportunities in agriculture, industry, tourism and other sectors, with the Federal Government exploring complementary investments in housing and other economic activities along the route.

Speaking on the Trans-Saharan Route, Umahi said the project would strengthen connectivity between the coastal axis and northern Nigeria, facilitating the movement of people, goods and services across the South-South, South-East and North-Central zones.

He disclosed that substantial progress had been made on the initial sections, while additional sections had been approved to make the corridor more economically viable and attractive to potential financiers

The minister said the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri road was being expanded as a major northern connectivity route, adding that the scope had been extended to include a Jos-Ibi spur in Taraba State, with design and procurement processes ongoing.

Umahi also listed several completed or commissioning-ready projects, including Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, Kaduna-Pambeguwa Road, Lafia Bypass and Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel.

Others, he said, included the Gombe-Potiskum rehabilitation project, sections of the Azare road linking Jigawa and Bauchi, the five-span Ampoha Bridge, the 23-kilometre, 23-span flyover on the Ekpoma-Benin axis and a three-span, 75-metre dualised bridge.

He said sections of the Lagos-Badagry and Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Shagamu-Ore corridors had also been completed, while other sections were at advanced stages.

The minister said the ministry was updating its compendium of completed and ongoing projects, which would be made available on its website and circulated to the public.

On the use of concrete pavement, Umahi said the ministry was increasingly adopting the technology on major highways because of its durability and lower long-term maintenance costs.

He said the government was determined to build infrastructure that would serve Nigerians for several decades and provide better value for public resources.

Addressing concerns over the procurement process for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the minister said the ministry followed the applicable procurement framework, explaining that the special approach was necessitated by the unique engineering requirements of constructing a major highway through difficult coastal terrain.

He said the ministry identified a contractor with a proven record in similar coastal infrastructure projects and forwarded its recommendation to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), which reviewed and cleared it, while the Federal Executive Council remained the final approving authority.

Umahi added that the contractor's rates were scrutinised against prevailing market prices, stressing that both indigenous and expatriate contractors were subjected to the same evaluation principles.

The minister further disclosed that all sections of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway had been completed except the Jere-Kaduna portion, which was progressing steadily.

He said the ministry was also installing solar-powered lighting along the 375-kilometre expressway to improve night visibility, safety and security.

On the Benin-Asaba Expressway, Umahi said the Federal Government had commenced an “Operation Rescue” following challenges associated with the road and its existing concession arrangement.

He said government had intervened to restore mobility and was developing plans for comprehensive reconstruction of the entire alignment using continuously reinforced concrete pavement.

The minister also highlighted increased federal infrastructure investment in the South-East, saying the Tinubu administration had demonstrated commitment to reintegrating the region into the national infrastructure development programme.

Citing the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, rehabilitation of the First Niger Bridge and ongoing construction of bypasses and other federal road projects, Umahi said the South-East was no longer being left behind.

“We can't continue to live in denial. What we have been crying for is being given. The people of the South-East are being fully reintegrated into the national infrastructure development plan,” he said.

He warned contractors who had received mobilisation or project funds but failed to deploy the money to project sites that the ministry would take steps to recover such funds.

Umahi also disclosed measures to protect the First Niger Bridge, including the installation of traffic management infrastructure and CCTV cameras at the Asaba and Onitsha ends.

He explained that bridges were designed primarily for dynamic rather than static loads, warning that prolonged traffic gridlock could create additional structural and safety challenges.

The minister said the government's road development strategy also included environmental measures such as tree planting along major highways and solar-powered street lighting.

He maintained that improved road connectivity would support agriculture, industrialisation, trade, tourism and investment, while helping translate the benefits of the government's economic reforms from the macroeconomic level to the grassroots.

Umahi reiterated that the legacy projects were not merely road construction schemes but long-term investments aimed at transforming Nigeria's economic landscape, strengthening connectivity and national security, and creating opportunities for millions of Nigerians.