By Amara Ehia, Abakaliki
Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, has commended President Bola Tinubu for ongoing investments in road infrastructure projects across the country.
Umahi spoke while leading officials of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) on an inspection tour of ongoing legacy projects in Ebonyi State.
Among the projects inspected was the dualisation of the Abakaliki–Afikpo–Ndibe Beach Trans-Saharan Highway, a road linking Ebonyi and Cross River states through Ndibe Beach in Afikpo to Benue and Kogi states.
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Umahi said the project is aimed at improving transportation, promoting economic activities, and enhancing regional connectivity.
The minister said the road projects under the Tinubu administration are being constructed to durable standards.
“The President is our bragging right because with the roads we are constructing, you can no longer differentiate between a runway and our concrete roads,” he said.
“It is a bragging right for President Bola Tinubu for roads that will last for 100 years. If previous administrations had done this, we would not be where we are today.”
Umahi said the projects are aligned with historic trade routes previously used for commercial activities, including the transportation of palm oil and granite.
“President Tinubu is realising these long-abandoned dreams, just like the Sokoto-Badagry project envisioned decades ago and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway,” he added.
The minister said the projects would reduce travel time to Abuja and create economic opportunities for communities along the corridor, including neighbouring areas in Cameroon.
He explained that the Federal Government is contributing 30 percent of the project cost, while additional funding is being sourced through the Trans-Saharan initiative.
According to him, the corridor connects the South-South region to the Southeast, North Central, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Leader of the EBID delegation, Mainouna Sidibe, expressed satisfaction with the infrastructure projects being executed under the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Sidibe also pledged the bank’s support for initiatives aimed at promoting economic opportunities and regional integration among ECOWAS member states.
