President Bola Tinubu has approved the extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway by an additional 400 kilometres, increasing the length of the strategic road corridor from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,100 kilometres, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced on Thursday.
The minister also disclosed that the President approved the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with reinforced concrete pavement, the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge in Taraba State, the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge, and the dualisation of an additional 400 kilometres of the East-West Road.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, Umahi described the approvals as another milestone in the Federal Government’s infrastructure renewal programme, saying they would improve national integration, boost economic activities and strengthen regional connectivity.
According to him, the latest approvals further demonstrate Tinubu’s commitment to delivering legacy infrastructure projects across all geopolitical zones.
Speaking on the expansion of the Fourth Legacy Highway, Umahi said the President approved the extension on Wednesday.
He said, “The greatest story is that yesterday, President Bola Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy Road. That is unprecedented.”
The minister explained that the new extension would take the highway through Taraba State, creating stronger links between the North-Central and North-East. He said the route would pass through several historic communities and prominent towns before connecting to Taraba.According to him,
“That project will pass through the place of General Gowon. It will pass through the place of Solomon Lar. It will pass through the place of the present National Chairman of the APC. It goes down to Taraba, and that is unprecedented.”
The Fourth Legacy Highway was originally conceived as a dual carriageway linking Akwanga in Nasarawa State with Maiduguri in Borno State through Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, and Biu. The additional 400 kilometres will further extend the corridor into Taraba State.
Umahi also announced presidential approval for the complete reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway after sections of the road began deteriorating less than five years after rehabilitation.
He said the decision vindicated his ministry’s insistence on using reinforced concrete pavement instead of asphalt for major highways. According to him, “The President approved yesterday the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Road, and that is the justification for our fight for the use of reinforced concrete pavement.
Explaining the decision, Umahi said the existing asphalt pavement had repeatedly failed despite maintenance works. He stated, “It is 135 kilometres by two carriageways. That project is not up to five years old, yet it has already started failing. We took journalists there. We took members of the National Assembly there. You could see the road failing. They repaired it, and it still failed.”
He added that reinforced concrete pavement offered a more durable solution. “The answer is to reconstruct it using reinforced concrete pavement that will last between 50 and 100 years, maintenance-free,” the minister said.
Umahi further disclosed that President Tinubu had approved the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge project in Taraba State. He explained that the bridge, awarded in 2018, had reached about 40 per cent completion before work stopped.
According to him, “That bridge was awarded in 2018, got to about 40 per cent completion and was abandoned. Yesterday, the President approved the review and completion of the Ibi Bridge in Taraba State.”
The minister also announced approval for the construction of the Lau Bridge across the Benue River. He said, “The Lau Bridge in Taraba State, which is 5.76 kilometres across the river, the President approved that it should be designed, procured, and awarded.”
The minister said the President equally approved the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road corridor. He stated, “The President also approved 400 kilometres of dualised East-West Road running from Lokoja down to Benin. This is another very important intervention in our road infrastructure.”
According to Umahi, the project would improve safety, facilitate trade, and reduce travel time along one of Nigeria’s busiest transport corridors.
In another major announcement, Umahi disclosed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would henceforth be known as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway. He said the decision was taken by the Ministry of Works in recognition of Tinubu’s long-standing vision for the landmark infrastructure.
According to him, “That highway is named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway. By the powers conferred on me as Minister of Works, in consultation with my Permanent Secretary, the Minister of State, directors and staff of the ministry, we decided to name it after him because of his dream for it.”
The minister recalled that Tinubu conceived the idea more than two decades ago while serving as Governor of Lagos State. He said, “He had that dream about 27 years back as Governor of Lagos State. It is one thing to dream and another thing to have the grace of God to actualise that dream. This is one man who dreams and has the grace and divine mandate to actualise that dream.”
Providing an update on the 750-kilometre coastal highway, Umahi said work was progressing simultaneously from different sections of the corridor. He said the first section, stretching from Victoria Island to Eleko Village in Lagos State, had become a model for modern highway construction.
According to him, “Section One, from Victoria Island to Eleko Village, is 47.47 kilometres. It is a dual carriageway with a 25-metre median reserved for a future railway line. That project is a beauty to behold.”
He disclosed that Section Two, extending from Eleko Village to the Lagos-Ogun boundary, had reached about 60 per cent completion. “We believe that by the end of November, we will have finished that project. What may remain will be some of the bridges because of the complexity of the structures,” he said.
Umahi explained that the corridor includes several mega bridges designed to withstand heavy industrial traffic around the Dangote Refinery axis.
According to him, “At the corridor of the Dangote Refinery, we have to take into consideration the kind of trucks and the frequency of trucks there. We have bridges with spans of 80 metres instead of the traditional 15 metres. We have about nine mega bridges and flyovers in Section One and about 10 bridges in Section Two.”
He also said work had progressed significantly on the Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, and Ondo sections of the project. According to him, Section Three, covering 75 kilometres from Calabar, is about 30 per cent complete, while Section Four, spanning 82 kilometres through Ogun and Ondo states, has achieved about 20 per cent completion.
He added that the 180-kilometre Section Five in Akwa Ibom was also progressing despite mobilisation funds yet to be released. Umahi equally gave updates on the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, describing it as the actualisation of a vision conceived more than five decades ago.
He said the project would reduce travel time between Sokoto and Lagos to about 10 hours at an average speed of 100 kilometres per hour. According to him, “The dream of our founding fathers during the Shagari administration over 50 years ago is being actualised. Presidents came and went but nobody attempted it. Today, work is ongoing from Ilela to Sokoto, from Kebbi and also from the Badagry end.”
The minister also highlighted progress on the Trans-Sahara Highway, saying the project would significantly improve connectivity between the South-East and the Federal Capital Territory.He said ongoing sections through Ebonyi, Benue, Enugu and Kogi states would drastically reduce travel time from the South-East to Abuja.
The Federal Government’s Legacy Projects comprise four flagship highway corridors designed to improve connectivity, stimulate economic growth and strengthen national integration.
They include the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Trans-Sahara Highway traversing the South-East and North-Central, and the Akwanga-Maiduguri Highway.
Since assuming office in May 2023, the Tinubu administration has prioritised large-scale road infrastructure under its Renewed Hope Agenda, with the Ministry of Works increasingly adopting reinforced concrete pavement technology for strategic highways, arguing that the method provides greater durability and lower maintenance costs than conventional asphalt roads.
SOURCE: PUNCH NEWS PAPER
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