


DRIVING NIGERIA’S FUTURE: CELEBRATING TWO YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY MILESTONE In a historic ceremony marking the successful completion of two years in office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Federal Government officially commissioned the completed 30-kilometre portion of the 40.7- kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Phase 1, Section I and several others, as well as flagged off the construction of new roads, in the Southern region, symbolically. The event, which was held in Lagos on Saturday, 31st May 2025, was performed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. It brought together eminent government officials including; the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, GCON, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume the Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Borno, Imo, Bayelsa, Kogi and Edo States, Captains of Industry, Contractors, Traditional Rulers and other Stakeholders Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE; the Minister of State for Works, Bello M. Goronyo, Esq; Governors Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Senator Godswill Akpabio; and other distinguished guests. In his opening remarks, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR reflected on the bold strides made during his two years in office, under the Renewed Hope Agenda. He identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a flagship project that encapsulates the commitment to infrastructure development as a driver of economic transformation. Despite initial skepticism, the project has become a beacon of progress, connecting nine coastal states of Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River. It is projected to contribute up to US$12 billion annually to Nigeria’s GDP within its first decade. The President emphasised that the project will ease transportation, reduce costs of travel and vehicle maintenance, as well as travel time, and drive growth across agriculture, industry, tourism, marine, and commerce while creating thousands of jobs and expanding opportunities for Nigerians. He described the progress as clear evidence of purposeful leadership delivering tangible results. Speaking, the Honourable Minister of Works, Sen. (Engr.) David Umahi, CON, praised the scope and significance of the project, describing the highway as a game-changer that not only connects nine littoral states but also unlocks vital trade and industrial corridors. He echoed the anticipated economic impact, reaffirming that the project will reduce transportation costs, shorten travel times, stimulate local economies, and create extensive employment opportunities for Nigerians. He appreciated the President for the vision and leadership, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for its consideration and approval and the Minister of Finance for providing the counterpart funding. The Minister of State for Works, Hon. Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq. reaffirmed the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to national development through the provision of critical infrastructure. He emphasised that enhancing connectivity and fostering regional integration remain vital pillars for sustainable prosperity. Delivering a Goodwill Message, the Senate President lauded the transformative potential of the project, spotlighting the strategic partnership between the government and private sector entities such as Hitech Construction Company. He described the highway as a “backbone for economic revitalisation” that will attract investment and create new avenues for economic empowerment. Other goodwill messages echoed these sentiments and much more. Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, commended President Tinubu’s resilience and clarity of purpose, recognising the highway as a powerful symbol of leadership that delivers on its promise. He expressed pride in the project’s pivotal role in national development and economic progress. Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a legacy of visionary leadership and focused execution. He underscored its visible socio-economic impact through improved interstate connectivity and increased commercial activity, stressing that the project will significantly improve lives and economies across southern Nigeria. Earlier, in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. Funsho Adebiyi, FNSE warmly welcomed all dignitaries and expressed heartfelt gratitude to Mr. President. He celebrated the milestone as a monumental achievement, noting that the highway will benefit not only the state on its alignment but the entire nation. He also emphasised that the project stands as a symbol of unity, progress, and a shared national vision for a more prosperous future. Others completed road and bridge projects in the Southern part of the country that was symbolically commissioned by the President including; While those that were flagged off, also symbolically, included; Mohammad Abdullahi Ahmed
i. Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Phase 1, Section I (Shagamu-Ibadan) in Ogun and Oyo States,
ii. Ikorodu-Shagamu Road in Lagos and Ogun States,
iii. Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction - Nigeria-Benin Border in Lagos State,
iv. Dualisation of East-West Road, Section II, Subsection I, (Eleme Junction-Ahoada in Rivers State,
v. Upgrading of 15km of the East-West Road (Eleme Junction-Onne Port Junction) in Rivers State,
vi. Construction of a New Bridge to Replace the Near-Collapsed One at Akpoha in Ebonyi State,
vii. Rehabilitation of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Section III (Enugu-Lokpanta) in Enugu State,
viii. Reconstructed Collapsed Bridge at New Artisan Market in Enugu on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and
ix. Alesi-Ugep Road (Iyamoyung-Ugep) in Cross River State.
i. Rehabilitated Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha-Akure-Benin Road in Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Edo States,
ii. Nembe-Brass Road, Section II in Bayelsa State and
iii. Section (107 Kilometres) of the Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriageway in Enugu and Anambra States.
Director, Press and Public Relations.
Lagos 3RD Mainland Bridge Reopens Today The Lagos 3RD Mainland Bridge is to reopen to traffic today in the coming hours. Minister of Works, His Excellency, Senator David Nweze Umahi in a phone call in the early hours of today,directed the Controller of Works, Lagos State, Engr Mrs O.I.Kesha to open the Bridge to traffic inorder to ease the stress which motorist have been subjected to, during the period of the first phase of Rehabilitation works on the Bridge Speaking to journalists soon after the directive, the Minister of Works said, the successful completion of the first phase of the Rehabilitation works which was started and completed by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration is a clear Indication that President Tinubu is working . Senator Umahi called on all Nigerians to continue to have faith in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President ,maintaining however, that nothing good comes so easy. The Minister revealed that work has already begun on the underwater damage to the bridge, which is the second phase of the Rehabilitation works on the bridge. Similarly, the Minister said, Rehabilitation works will commence on the Carter bridge in the coming weeks, adding that the contractor has already been mobilised. ...
Federal Government Approves Funding of 30km Dualization of Three Sections of Benin- Lokoja Highway Under Tax Credit Scheme by BUA Group 1. In a bid to provide urgent and accelerated intervention on the critical sections of the Benin- Lokoja Federal Highway, the Renewed Hope administration of the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR has approved the immediate funding of 30km dualization of three sections of the road, to be funded under Tax Credit Scheme by BUA Group. The Hon. Minister of Works, His Excellency Sen Engr. Nweze David Umahi CON made this known during a meeting with all the contractors handling the Benin- Lokoja Federal Highway and some stakeholders from the area. The Honourable Minister said that the Ministry took some steps to review the texture of the pavement of the project to conform to the new innovation introduced by Renewed Hope administration to ensure best standards and durability According to him, "I first went through the road in September, and when I went through it, I was very satisfied that BPP and the Ministry did very fantastic work. But all I did was to keep the project but review the texture of the pavement. And so we allowed the existing carriageway to be on asphalt and then reviewed the new carriageway to be on concrete. Being satisfied, so we went through the process of notifying the BPP, and from there, we went to FEC, and graciously, FEC approved, and so we are in the process of signing an addendum to the contract." "Mr. President has approved that BUA Group should do 30km of the road in 3 locations multiplied by 2, that is 60km on Tax Credit" 2. The Honourable Minister commended BUA Group for their interest to handle the construction of the 30 km carriageway under Tax Credit Scheme and said the intervention was targeted at the critical sections of the road as already isolated when he last visited the Benin- Lokoja road. He stated, "Let me commend BUA plc very highly, because on their own they had indicated interest to do about 30km of the road on tax credit. That was one of the reasons I decided to go and revisit the road to know the section they needed to do and also to open the road. So, we had to open the road. We appealed to the road transport workers, that work would start Monday, the next week. That was 18th, and indeed, we briefed the President, and then Senator Adam Oshiomhole now came with the full weight of his person. " 3. Speaking on behalf of the people of the area, the Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District and Chairman, Senator Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole praised the determination of the Renewed Hope administration of Mr. President in changing the socio-economic narrative of the nation through aggressive road infrastructure transformation and the uncommon commitment of the Honourable Minister of Works in achieving the vision of Mr. President on road infrastructure development. The Senator who came in the company of the APC Candidate in the Edo State September 2024 Governorship election and Senator representating Edo Central Senatorial District, Sen. Monday Okpebholo expressed his profound pleasure over the new paradigm in the Federal Ministry of Works, noting that the Ministry under Sen. Umahi has recorded unprecedented performance in the road infrastructure development within the shortest period of time. He said, " I was shocked that within 72 hours this Minister did not only hear the word of the President, he packaged what I have seen from the briefing to be a doable and workable approach to solving a problem that four or five ministers before him could not solve. So I wish to ask us to appreciate his energy, his drive, and his focus, without which we will not be here today." 4. In their separate remarks, the Governorship candidate of APC in Edo, Sen Monday Okpebholo said, "Mr. President has rekindled our hope. Just within the shortest time of our request to the Honourable Minister, magic has been done, if this is how Nigeria works; everybody will want to come back home, nobody will want to 'japa'." On his part, the Group Executive Director of BUA Group, Kabiru Rabiu, assured of the commitment of the company in delivering the project within a record time. In his vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Yakubu Adam Kofaramata,PhD, appreciated Mr. President for the new narrative in the Federal Ministry of Works, which is made possible by the appointment of a workaholic and highly committed Honourable of Works. ...
Governors of Kwara and Kogi States Visit Hon. Minister of Works, Seek Federal Government's Intervention on The Ilorin - Lokoja Dualization of the Federal Highway 1. The Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi CON has assured that the Federal Government under the Renewed Hope administration of His Excellency President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR is committed to addressing the accumulated road infrastructural needs of the country as that would contribute progressively to the reinvigoration of the national and sub-national economies. This was contained in the message of the Hon. Minister of Works during the courtesy visit of the Governor of Kwara State and Chairman, Nigerian Governors' Forum, His Excellency, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and the Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Ahmed Usman Ododo at the Federal Ministry of Works, Mabushi-Abuja on 11th March 2024. 2. The Honourable Minister said that holistic attention is being given to the Federal roads in all the States of the Federation by Mr. President, and this could be seen in the numerous road projects going on in the country under the Renewed Hope administration. "In all honesty, the roads are very terrible. But if you look at what we had when I took over in the month of August and what we are doing now, you will see a lot of commitment by Mr. President, not just on that stretch..., but all over the country. That's why he directed that I must visit all the States and all the projects." He assured the Governors who visited that the Ministry would look at the funding mechanism to kick-start the project once approved by Mr. President, as it is not contemplated by the budget. "And so, for coming and you had discussed this project with Mr. President, he does not joke with the welfare of Nigerians. He's one person that is infrastructure committed right from when he was Governor. Even on his own personal businesses, you'll see the development of infrastructure. So, he's very much interested. He understands that the road is everything in this country. It will improve security, improve agriculture, improve commerce and so on and so forth." 3. Speaking on behalf of the Governors that visited, the Governor of Kwara State said the purpose of their visit was to bring the condition of the Ilorin-Lokoja road to the attention of the Federal Government for possible intervention, adding that the road which also stretches to Markurdi, Gboko up to the Republic of Benin is key not only to the enhancement of the economy, but also to the development of solid mineral and agriculture in Nigeria. He expressed delight in the abundant interventions of Mr. President on road infrastructure across the nation and hoped that with the outcome of their meeting, the Federal Government would look into ways and means to fund the Ilorin-Lokoja dualization. He stated, "The primary purpose of this visit is to encourage the Federal Government to look into the Ilorin-Lokoja dualization of the Federal Highway. And it's a very major important road, which is not just an economic road, it is a belt of solid minerals in Nigeria and agricultural belt. So that road will open up the entire region for business, for commerce, agriculture." ...
Varsity Lauds Fashola Over 2.0 km Internal Road Intervention
• Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola has been commended for the 2.0 kilimeters road Intervention project done in the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto (UDUS)
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lawal Sulaiman Bilbis gave the commendation during the official handover of the completed road to the University, Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
The Minister, represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Sokoto State, Engr Akintunde Akintade, said that the Ministry is working on 76 road projects in selected Federal Tertiary Institutions across the nation.
"We have successfully intervened in the internal road networks of 46 tertiary institutions and handed over 29 as at 2021 and we now have another 17 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to 30 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 76," he said
Fashola explained that there were clear indications that responses from institutions who benefited with the intervention revealed that the gap of the infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs and construction on the major highways and schools.
Accordingly, he added that the construction of the internal roads in the tertiary institutions by the Federal Government has enormously helped the students' renewed enthusiasm to attend classes because bad roads across the tertiary institutions have been restored to good condition.
Similarly, the Minister explained the project has created jobs for no less than ninety (90) people during the execution which contributed tremendously to the job creation initiatives of Buhari’s administration.
In his response the Vice Chancellor of UDUS, Prof. Lawal Sulaiman Bilbis, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Garba Mahuta applauded the Minister His Excellency Babatunde Fashola for the intervention, describing it as a giant stride in the course of humanity
Prof Bilbis stated that the rehabilitation of the road commenced last year and was completed 100 percent by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing under the able leadership of Minister Fashola
The President of the Students Union Government (SUG), Umar Shamsudeen, said he was so delighted with the road project and under his tenure the project would be protected and maintained, adding that the road would enhance the environment and improve teaching and learning.
While speaking, the Sector Commandant of 10.1 of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Sokoto State, Muhammad Kabo, appreciated the effort of the Federal Government in putting the road in good condition and appealed to the road users to always observe road signage and speed limit.
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF WORKS AND HOUSING, BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA SAN AT THE 27TH MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON WOKS
PROTOCOL
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the fourth day of this memorable event of the 27th meeting of the National Council on Works (NCW) being held in Bauchi State.
2. Let me first express my profound gratitude to His Excellency, Senator Bala A. Muhammed CON, the Executive Governor and the entire people of Bauchi State for accepting to host the 27th meeting of the National Council on Works (NCW). This has demonstrated the mutual relationship and peaceful coexistence between the Federal and Bauchi State Government. The Bauchi State, "the Pearl of Tourism" is no doubt the treasure of the Nation considering its many beautiful tourist attraction canters across the State.
3. The theme of this year's Council meeting "Infrastructure Delivery, Maintenance Economy and National Prosperity" was carefully selected to alleviate the problems associated with lack of maintenance of infrastructure being provided by the Federal, State and Local Governments which results to huge money and retard the economy growth.
4. Nigeria like other developing Countries is seriously confronted with inadequate resources for establishment of infrastructure which are essential for National Economic Development. Since the Independence, a large chunk of the country's resources has been channelled to infrastructure constructions including roads infrastructure. However, maintenance culture which encompasses provision for adequate care of hard-earned infrastructure is needed to ensure sustainability of these roads’ infrastructure for national prosperity. Experts have posited that if any nation can imbibe the maintenance culture in every sector of the economy, it will reduce cost and ensure national economic growth. Therefore, provision of adequate road infrastructure with a maintenance backup will no doubt help the government in saving more money to achieve National Economic Prosperity.
5. The highly acquired capital infrastructure is not given adequate maintenance to enable it have a longer lifespan needed to support development efforts and thereby deteriorate to the point of starting afresh. Therefore, acquired infrastructure such as constructed road network, bridges, road signage should be properly managed and adequately maintained to ensure durability and enable them live up to their life span of 20 years of road construction.
6. In prioritizing Maintenance culture in the road network with the goal of improving its 195,500 km road network of which about 60,000 km are paved while 135,000 road networks are un-tarred, the Federal Government and the States need to collaborate together along with investments from International
Finance Institutions and Public Private Partnership intervention in order to achieve the desired goal in Infrastructure Delivery, Maintenance Economy and National Prosperity.
7. Therefore, the 27th Council is expected to provide policy frame work that will sustain concerted and consistent culture of maintenance on the infrastructure on ground and also build in maintenance policy in the future road projects to move the country to the next level.
8. Kindly bear in mind that your recommendations will bear far reaching importance in Nation building and it is my prayer that our Highways will become safer and more comfortable for all and the nation's economy will be revamped and sustained.
9. I urge you to contribute meaningfully to the deliberations here today which will not only enhance improvement in the road infrastructure but will also stimulate world standard maintenance culture in the Nigerian road system.
10. Once again, I wish to express my profound gratitude to the Executive Governor and the entire people of Bauchi State for providing necessary provisions to ensure the hitch free of this year's Council meeting.
11. Thank you all and God bless
DRIVING NIGERIA’S FUTURE: CELEBRATING TWO YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY MILESTONE
DRIVING NIGERIA’S FUTURE: CELEBRATING TWO YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY MILESTONE
MID -TERM REVIEW MEETING ON THE IMPLIMENTATION OF THE DECISIONS REACHED AT THE 29TH NATIONAL COUNCIL ON WORKS (NCW) DAY 1
MID -TERM REVIEW MEETING ON THE IMPLIMENTATION OF THE DECISIONS REACHED AT THE 29TH NATIONAL COUNCIL ON WORKS (NCW) DAY 1