FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has flagged off the construction of the 125-kilometre Akwanga-Jos section of the Akwanga-Kaduna-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri superhighway and commissioned the dualized Akwanga Township Road and underpass built by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
President Tinubu flagged off the construction of the superhighway and commissioned the two projects executed by the Nasarawa State Government during an elaborate ceremony in Akwanga, on Wednesday.
The President was represented at the event by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.
Those who witnessed the event include the Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi; Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang; Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya; members of the National Assembly; state executive council members and traditional rulers, among other dignitaries.
Speaking at the event, Governor Sule said the Akwanga township road project, which he described as a signature achievement of his administration, was completed without borrowing a kobo from any bank, funded entirely from resources made available by President Tinubu’s economic reforms.
The Governor said residents and business owners whose properties were affected by the road had been paid full compensation, which earned the project their support and cooperation.
He thanked the APC National Chairman for including the commissioning in his itinerary alongside the flag-off of the Akwanga-Jos road.
In his address, President Tinubu commended Governor Sule for delivering the projects in Akwanga, noting that such infrastructure in a local government area, rather than only in state capitals, demonstrated a commitment to good governance.
The President said the project was a product of collaboration between the state and federal governments, describing it as one that would connect Abuja to Akwanga and Makurdi to Akwanga through an interchange.
He said the road would boost APC’s fortunes in the state ahead of the coming elections and commended Governor Sule for acknowledging the impact of his administration’s economic reforms on state revenue.
President Tinubu directed the Minister of Works and state governors to work with the Surveyor General of the Federation to prepare a setback plan for future road expansion, and urged contractors on the projects to train and employ local youths as part of their operations.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, said President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Legacy Road Projects are designed to connect every region of the country, stimulate economic growth and improve national integration.
In his remarks during the event, Umahi described the Akwanga-Jos road as Section One, Phase One of the larger Akwanga-Maiduguri Superhighway under his administration’s New Hope Agenda.
He said the section covers 125 kilometres, running through Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau States, and forms part of a 700-kilometre corridor stretching from Akwanga through Kaduna, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu to Maiduguri, connecting five states in North Central and North East Nigeria.
The Minister said work had already commenced on the Gombe-Biu section, while new sections between Jos-Bauchi, Bauchi-Gombe and Biu-Maiduguri were being designed for procurement and award.
Umahi also gave an update on other legacy road projects across the country,saying that the Section One of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Lagos had been substantially completed, while sections in Enugu, Cross River and Akwa Ibom were at various stages of completion.
On the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, he said sections in Sokoto, Kebbi and Oyo were progressing, and on the Trans-Saharan route linking Calabar, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi and the Federal Capital Territory, he said work was ongoing across several sections.
He said North Central Nigeria currently has the highest number of federal road projects in the country, with 35 major projects, including five already completed.
The Minister of Works, Senator Umahi, disclosed that President Tinubu had approved the immediate release of N111 billion for the construction of Section One of the Akwanga-Jos road, describing it as a major boost to the administration’s legacy infrastructure Programme.
Nasarawa State 2027 APC governorship candidate,Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada described Umahi as an uncommon performer while commending Governor Sule for transparent and judicious use of public funds.
He said Nigerians should give President Tinubu another term to consolidate on the gains already recorded.
On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration in three years, including road infrastructure, the National Education Loan Fund, and Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, showed the President deserved a second term to consolidate his reforms.
ARI, LIMAN AMINU.
HEAD OF CENTRE,
FIC, LAFIA.
