President Bola Tinubu has approved 27 major road projects valued at more than N3.9 trillion across 15 states as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s road infrastructure.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced the approvals on Monday while briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Umahi, the projects cover Adamawa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Yobe states.
Among the largest approvals is the re-award of the 409-kilometre dual carriageway project in Niger State under the tax credit scheme to billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote at a cost of N1.8 trillion.
The council also approved N276 billion for the dualisation of the Ilorin-Ogbomoso Road and N265 billion for the reconstruction of the Iseyin-Eruwa-Agbesi Road linking Oyo and Kwara states.
Other key projects include N217 billion for the dualisation of the old alignment from Ijaye through the Federal Government College to Ilorin Road with a spur to Akinmorin, as well as N116 billion for the 21-kilometre Abakaliki-Afikpo Road in Ebonyi State.
Additional approvals include N110 billion for the Ogbomoso-Oko-Illupu Road spanning Oyo and Osun states, N104 billion for the rehabilitation of Sections One and Two of the Ilorin-Omorin-Ebe-Kabba-Obajana Road linking Kwara and Kogi states, N98 billion for the construction of the 30-kilometre Idi-Araba-Ayede-Olodo Road in Oyo State, and N92 billion for the rehabilitation of the Baban-Lamba-Sharan Phase Two Road in Plateau State.
The council further approved N86 billion each for the reconstruction of the Enugu-Abakaliki Road with a flyover and the Adikpo-Ajayi-Tese-Akpa-Otukpo Road connecting Benue and Cross River states.
Other projects include the N83 billion Jimeta-Mayo Belwa Road in Adamawa, N82 billion for the rehabilitation of Igbeti Road in Oyo, N74 billion for the Igbeti-Soro-Kishi Road, N71 billion for the 52-kilometre Dabban-Makina Road in Niger State and N62.99 billion for the Tungo-Karamti Road with five bridges linking Adamawa and Taraba states.
Umahi said the council also approved N58 billion for the rehabilitation of the Yola-Hong-Mubi Road Phase Two, N46 billion for the Amasiri-Okporojo Road, N34 billion for the Ikere-Ekiti-Ijare Road linking Ekiti and Ondo states, N26 billion for a new flyover on the ongoing Trans-Sahara Road, N24.7 billion for the rehabilitation of the Kabba-Ifaki-Ado Ekiti Road connecting Kogi and Ekiti states, and N21 billion for a flyover at Oko-Olowo Junction in Kwara State.
Further approvals include N15.7 billion for the Pacific Road linking Igbe Laara to Ikorodu in Lagos State, N15.5 billion for the 13-kilometre Badeku-Jaiye Road in Oyo State, N15.246 billion for the second phase of the Yola-Fufore-Gurin Road project in Adamawa and N15 billion as additional funding for the 32.2-kilometre Gashua Road project in Yobe State.
Beyond the road contracts, Umahi disclosed that the FEC approved the full business case for the operation and maintenance concession of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. He added that reconstruction of failed sections of the highway along the Ibadan axis would commence using concrete pavement.
The minister also announced the completion of the first 118-kilometre section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway, executed at a cost of N137 billion, describing it as a major milestone in the Federal Government’s ongoing infrastructure development programme.