President Bola Tinubu has approved 27 road projects valued at over N3.9 trillion across 15 states, with most states in the oil-rich Niger Delta excluded from the massive infrastructure package, except for a road project traversing Cross River State.
The approvals were announced on Monday by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The projects, which form part of the Federal Government’s road infrastructure expansion programme, are spread across Adamawa, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Yobe states.
Notably absent from the list are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers states, despite the region’s strategic contribution to the nation’s economy through oil and gas production. Cross River was the only Niger Delta state to feature, through the reconstruction of the Adikpo-Ajayi-Tese-Akpa-Otukpo Road, which traverses Benue and Cross River 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 businessman Aliko Dangote at a cost of N1.8 trillion.
Other major projects approved include the N276 billion dualisation of the Ilorin-Ogbomoso Road; the N265 billion reconstruction of the Iseyin-Eruwa-Agbesi Road linking Oyo and Kwara states; the N217 billion dualisation of the old alignment from Ijaye through the Federal Government College to Ilorin Road, with a spur to Akinmorin; and the N116 billion Abakaliki-Afikpo Road in Ebonyi State.
The council also approved N110 billion for the Ogbomoso-Oko-Illupu Road in Oyo and Osun states; N104 billion for the rehabilitation of Sections One and Two of the Ilorin-Omorin-Egbe-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.
Other approvals include N86 billion each for the reconstruction of the Enugu-Abakaliki Road with a flyover and the Adikpo-Ajayi-Tese-Akpa-Otukpo Road linking Benue and Cross River states; N83 billion for the Jimeta-Mayo Belwa Road in Adamawa State; N82 billion for the rehabilitation of Igbeti Road in Oyo State; 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 connecting Adamawa and Taraba states.
The FEC further approved N58 billion for the rehabilitation of the Yola-Hong-Mubi Road (Phase II); 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 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 the construction of a flyover at Oko-Olowo Junction in Kwara State.
Additional approvals include N15.7 billion for the Pacific Road linking Igbe Laara to Ikorodu in Lagos State; N15.5 billion for the Badeku-Jaiye Road in Oyo State; N15.246 billion for Phase II of the Yola-Fufore-Gurin Road project in Adamawa State; and N15 billion as augmentation for the 32.2-kilometre Gashua Road project in Yobe State.
Umahi also disclosed that the council approved the full business case for the operation and maintenance concession of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and directed the immediate reconstruction of failed sections of the highway along the Ibadan axis using concrete pavement.
He further announced the completion of the first 118-kilometre section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highway, valued at N137 billion.
The omission of most Niger Delta states from the latest round of road approvals is expected to fuel concerns over infrastructure distribution in a region that remains the economic backbone of Nigeria through its vast oil and gas resources.
