Tinubu’s four legacy highway projects as transformative investment assets

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi highlights what Nigeria and Nigerians stand to gain from President Bola Tinubu’s four legacy highway projects during the National Media Tour of Federal Government’s and states’ projects organised by the Governor Hope Uzodimma-led Renewed Hope Ambassadors in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team

By Ayorinde Oluokun

Nigeria is about to fully into the campaign season for 2027 general election as candidates across political parties are getting set for the task of mounting the rostrum at rallies to make different hues of promises to the electorates. However, Minister of Works David Umahi has told Nigerians what to do with any of those begging them for votes, especially, the presidential candidates who included cancellation of the four Legacy Highway Projects of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among his or her promises –Pray against them and their ambitions.

Speaking to a presidential media team and a group of over 50 journalists Renewed Hope Ambassadors on inspection of Federal Government projects in the Southeast in Ebonyi State on Saturday, 13 June, Umahi said the four legacy projects are not just highways, but transformative investment assets critical to strengthening national integration, unlocking of opportunities towards the achievement of President Bola Tinubu’s promise of boosting Nigeria’s economy to $1 trillion.

“When some of the presidential aspirants come and say they are going to stop these projects, I want Nigerians to watch them very well and they pray against them because these projects are investments, not just mere infrastructure,” the Minister told the journalists while identifying the four Legacy Highway Projects as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Calabar-Abuja Superhighway, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Road Corridor-.

Umahi spoke to the presidential media team and the team of journalists during inspection of the ongoing works at the 1.3-kilometre Ndibe Beach Bridge in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. He spoke in the company of acting Federal Controller in Ebonyi State, Engr. Maxwell Okoh, and Mohammed Mustafa, Project Manager of Infiouest International Limited (the contractor for the Calabar-Abuja Trans-Sahara Superhighway).

Tinubu reviving long forgotten colonial-era dream

The Ndibe bridge will for the first time provide a direct link between Ebonyi and Cross River State when completed in December 2026. The bridge is part of the third Highway legacy project of President Tinubu that will connect Calabar, the Cross Rivers State capital to Ebonyi and link Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa states to Abuja through Akwanga.

Umahi who was former Governor of Ebonyi State noted that the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue Trans-Saharan Superhighway is of strategic importance to the Southeast, South South, and parts of the North Central region.

“It is a colonial-era dream long forgotten, but President Tinubu has revived it, and construction is now underway. We must thank him immensely,” he said

Akwanga, in Nasarawa State which is beginning of the fourth legacy project. “The first section is 125 kilometres awarded to this particular company that is doing this bridge. It was awarded before we came on board, but the President decided it should be redesigned on concrete pavement. Though not mobilized, but work is ongoing on the 125 kilometres from Akwanga to Jos and from Jos to Bauchi which is 120 kilometres. Other sections include the 156 kilometers from Bauchi to Gombe and the 130 kilometres which has been awarded at the cost of N1.82 trillion,” Umahi told journalists. He also revealed that the remaining section of the road from Gombe to Maiduguri is going to be procured soon.

The Minister noted that leaders and people of the Northeast are particularly excited by the fourth legacy project Highway Project of the President as the critical artery will bring the region back to life when completed. Let me quote my friend, Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South Senator), he said ‘President, we are very happy in Northeast. We are happy for the award of contract for this project and on behalf of Northeast, you don’t need to come and campaign, Northeast people will pay you back in 2027 election.’ Then, you also have the other senator from Bauchi who commended the President on the floor of the Senate.”

Unarguably, the most talked about of the four legacy projects of the President is Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Giving update on the project, Umahi revealed that section one of the 650 kilometres of the Highway which is which is 7.47 kilometres six-lanes dual carriage way with provision for train facility at the middle of the road has been fully completed and ready for commissioning. “We’ll do that during campaign,” Umahi said.

He also revealed that over 70 per cent of the road component of section two of the Highway has been procured though the contractors had to battle the challenge of erosion, ocean surge and the very terrible swamp. He also told the media team that President Tinubu’s administration had adopted an innovative way of tackling the expected challenge of traffic gridlock challenges at the corridor because of the presence of many business conglomerates, with plans to build the longest flyover in Africa already concluded. “Section two is 55 kilometers and stops at Eleko junction and that’s the junction of the famous Lekki Deep Sea Port, Dangote and so many other blue-chip companies. We are building a fantastic flyover at the front of the Dangote Refinery because we have to take their trucks and the traffic there into consideration. That’s why we are building a fantastic and the longest flyover you will have in Africa – It’s 55 kilometers and it’s N133 billion,” the Minister said.

The Tinubu’s administration is also constructing the Highway up from Cross River axis, its end point, with 30 per cent of the work in two sections totaling 72 kilometres done in spite of the difficult and challenging terrain. Umahi said work is also ongoing on the 360-kilometer, Section four of the Highway from the end of the Lagos border to Ogun State also despite the challenging terrain with the 180 Kilometer just awarded while the design for the Rivers’ section of the Highway towards Bayelsa is ongoing. “Delta State is where you have the most difficult terrain compared to section 1 of the Highway and from that point, you get to Edo State- which is 100 Kilometres,” Umahi said.

The second legacy project is the 1016 kilometres Sokoto-Badagry Expressway first conceived in the 80s under the administration of late President Shehu Shagari. While the project remained just an idea for many years, the Tinubu’s administration brought it alive with work ongoing on the first section of the Highway in Ilela in Sokoto State where about 20 per cent of the job has been done. Work is also going on in the section three of the Highway at Badagry while contract for the Oyo section which is about 162 kilometres has been awarded. “So, what is left of the 1016 Km is the Niger Section and Kwara section. We are not going to procure them this year, but we are going to design them. And so, next year, we are going to have it,” said Umahi.

Beyond The Highways

The Minister also revealed what Nigerians stand to gain from the projects aside the much-needed connectivity they will provide: “These are the four legacy projects of Mr President. They are investments. If we talk about the benefits of these projects – in the Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway, you have about 75 dams and we are designing these dams in collaboration with Ministry of Water Resources for irrigation, power, and we are also mapping out a lot of lands to settle people for agriculture and don’t forget that it is also connecting the Lagos-Abdijan at the Badagry axis to Benin Republic.

“At the Sokoto end, you will just stay in Ilela and be seeing Niger Republic and they trade together and so, catalyst for economic revolution.

“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,” Umahi explained.

On this corridor, you have evacuation of our produce, the rice, groundnut, a lot of routes that evacuate people from South-south states – Cross River, Port Harcourt, Benue, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi.

“Look at the corridor of Akwanga to Jos- imagine the tomatoes there- you have a lot of dams even in that corridor. There is none of this project that we don’t have dams. Lagos to Calabar, you have the windmill benefits, we have a lot of the corridors we’re going to be putting housing estates, hotels and so on. So, the benefits cannot be exhausted. And you also have to think about the direct and the indirect jobs. So, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, God brought you, God will keep you. We will be together for the next five years. God bless Nigeria

The visit to the Southeast is the team’s second regional tour, following the team’s North West tour. The delegation is 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 team members include Mr. Tunde Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media; Tope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity; Mr. Otega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media; Segun Dada, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media; Linda Akhigbe and Fred Nwabufo, Senior Special Assistants to the President on Strategic Communications; Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai and Barrister Chioma Nweze, Senior Special Assistants to the President on Community Engagement; and Dare Olude, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation.