By Mustapha Salisu
The Tinubu administration’s four transformative legacy road projects are designed to connect Nigeria’s states, enhance national integration, and unlock new economic corridors.
Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen today.
According to Rabiu, the Minister of State for Works, Mr. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, disclosed this on Wednesday during the ongoing government-citizen engagement organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation in Kaduna.
According to him, the landmark projects include: the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway; the 750-kilometre Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway; the 477-kilometre Trans-Saharan Highway traversing Calabar, Ebonyi, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, and the FCT and the 422-kilometre Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Expressway.
Mr. Goronyo noted that these projects reflect the Tinubu administration’s commitment to equitable development, pointing out that 52% of all ongoing projects under the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency are located in the northern part of the country.
He further revealed that four reputable construction firms are currently handling the Sokoto–Zaria road, with reinforced concrete to ensure durability and longevity.
In another development, the Federal Government has secured financing for the entire Aba to Maiduguri corridor, cutting across Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Benue, of the 1443 kilometer Portharcourt Eastern Narrow Gauge Railway Project.
The Minister of Transport, Senator Saidu Alkali also stated this at the ongoing government-citizen engagement forum in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The Minister also disclosed that government has also rehabilitated the old Lagos-Kano Narrow Gauge and freight services linking Apapa to Kano Inland Dry Port.
In a related story, as contained in a statement signed by Suleiman Haruna, Director, Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, revealed, the Minister of Transportation, Saidu Ahmed Alkali, has also disclosed that the Federal Government has completed 135 road projects across northern Nigeria as part of its infrastructure renewal drive.
According to Haruna, the Minister said 216 additional road construction projects are currently ongoing in the region.
He further revealed that 312 road maintenance projects have been completed, while 50 others are in progress.
According to the Minister, several legacy projects cutting across many states are underway, including the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Calabar–Abuja Superhighway, and the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 14 road projects have been completed and commissioned. Other completed projects include the Greater Abuja Water Supply Network Project, the construction or rehabilitation of numerous primary and secondary schools, and the commissioning of three world-class bus terminals.
He added that several other road construction, rehabilitation, and expansion works are ongoing across the country in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.