Federal Ministry of Works

Federal Ministry of Works (FMW)

... building the backbone for Development ...

Follow Us:

Welcome To Federal Ministry Of Works.

Minister Federal Ministry Of Works Engr. David Umahi.

Road Construction Inspection Tour.

Road Inspection.

Road Construction Inspection Tour.

Road Inspection.

Road Construction Inspection Tour.

Oct

2025

LATEST PRESS

Umahi Inspects Mararaba–Keffi Carriageway, Keffi Flyover Project, Visits Keffi-Nasarawan Toto–Abaji Road

The Honourable Minister of Works, Sen. (Engr.) David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE led a high-powered delegation from the Ministry on an inspection tour of key road projects in Nasarawa State. At the site of the Reconstruction and Expansion of Mararraba-Keffi Dual Carriageway, the Minister expressed serious concerns about the pace of work and lack of adherence to engineering specifications. He informed the contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company that after several warnings, the Ministry is left with no choice but to revoke the contract for the Abuja-bound carriageway. He further directed that it should be awarded to a local contractor with a proven track record, who will be mobilised to complete the concrete shoulders and other pending works. The slow pace of construction had been causing considerable hardship for road users and residents along the corridor.

The Minister was accompanied by the Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq, Directors and other staff of the Ministry, representatives of the construction firms handling the various projects, and was met at the Keffi Flyover by the Governor of Nasarawa State, His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, Sen. Ahmed Wadata, officials of the State Government, and other stakeholders.

Engr. Umahi emphasised that the Federal Government is committed to delivering high-quality and durable road infrastructure, meeting global engineering standards and capable of serving Nigerians for decades. “We cannot continue to tolerate uncooperative contractors, who delay projects and ignore directives,” he declares.

The Minister reiterated his faith in Nigerian Engineers and contractors, guaranteeing that they would deliver quality jobs comparable to international standards, when given the opportunity. He also warned that any contractor who fails to meet deadlines or flouts directives would have their contracts terminated. Engr. Umahi cautioned that “If by the 15th of December, you do not finish the scope of work, I will terminate the whole contract. We must begin to trust our local contractors. This is about discipline, quality, and integrity,” he stressed.

He went further to say that “when we came on board, we reviewed the method statement for this project because we could not accept a design that would destroy an already consolidated subgrade,” Umahi explained. “We changed the design to include 20 cm of concrete on the inner shoulder and reinforced the stone base with 3.5% cement content. The sections already completed are excellent and will last for a minimum of 50 years.”

The Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Esq, also admonished contractors to show greater seriousness and commitment to the timely completion of projects. He restated that the present administration is determined to deliver quality infrastructure that will stand the test of time, as well as improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

Goronyo added that we must all take our responsibilities seriously. “Contractors must adhere strictly to specifications and timelines, as the Ministry will not compromise on quality and accountability,” the Minister disclosed.

The Director, Highways, Construction and Rehabilitation, Engr. Clement Ogbuagu reported that about 50% of the project has been completed and assured that the first phase will be delivered by December 15, 2025.

At the site of the Emergency Repairs of the Damaged Keffi Flyover, the Minister, accompanied by the Nasarawa State Governor, said that “two months ago, a tragic accident damaged part of this flyover, leading to loss of lives. We reported it to Mr. President, who immediately approved funds for its repairs.”
“Today, we can see the quality of work being done. They are recasting the entire slab, not just the affected part at a very conservative cost of ₦1.5 billion,” he added.

On the soon-to-be-awarded rescoped Keffi-Nasarawan Toto-Abaji Road, the Minister informed the Governor and his entourage that the original contract sum of ₦73 billion covered an initial 43.65 km stretch. However, the initial scope has now been reviewed and extended to 137 km, reaching Abaji town in the FCT, following the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, under a special funding arrangement.

In his remarks, His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi Sule commended President Tinubu and the Minister of Works for their interventions in the State, especially the Keffi Flyover, which was recently damaged by an overloaded truck.
The Governor further noted that the Keffi–Nasarawan Toto-Abaji road is crucial to the economic development of both Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory, as it serves as a major gateway for goods, services, and people. It also serves the biggest Lithium Factory in Africa, recently commissioned by Mr. President.

Senator Wadada, representing Nasarawa West and other stakeholders commended the Minister for his dedication, describing him as an “uncommon performer,” whose hands-on approach reflects the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu. They also applauded the President for being “a leader for all.”

Engr. Umahi reaffirmed that all ongoing Federal projects will now adopt the revised engineering method statement, which emphasises, complete milling of old pavement, reinforcement of subgrade with stone base and cement, 20 cm concrete shoulders, and proper drainage and slope control. He also stressed that these specifications are designed to guarantee a minimum lifespan of 50 years for the reconstructed roads.

“No contractor, no matter how connected, will be allowed to compromise on quality. Mr. President has done his part by approving funding; it is now our duty to ensure delivery,” the Minister emphasised.

Mohammed A. Ahmed,
Director, Press and Public Relations.
12th October 2025.

Feb

2024

Inspection of Ongoing Federal Roads Rehabilitation in Northwest Zone: We Know Concrete Road Technology Will Be A Huge Success, Says Works Minister …..BUA Cement restates commitment to reduction in price We know that concrete road technology is going to be a huge success for the benefit of our people, says the Honourable Minister of Works, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON. According to him, we are sure that utilizing concrete road technology is the right decision and so we have not made any mistakes insisting that concrete road technology should take its root, especially in some of these key projects.” The Honourable Minister disclosed this today in Sokoto while fielding questions from journalists after the inspection BUA Cement facility which is part of his inspection of ongoing rehabilitation of highways in Sokoto State. Speaking on his visit to the State, Sen. Umahi disclosed that “first, I'm here to inspect as you know, a very ambitious road project being embarked upon by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Nigeria, Senator Tinubu Ahmed. He added that the Federal Government was “constructing 372 kilometers of roads, multiplied by two, which means its dualization. One road is an existing one, which we are doing complete rebuilding, and then a brand-new road, again, of 372; a total of 744 km roads. The Honourable Minister revealed that “Mr. President wants this road very fast, but wasn't too sure if we can get the volume of cement to use. So, we are constructing the first 372 kilometers running from Kaduna, Zaria, Zamfara, to Sokoto, with asphalt as the carriageway, and then the shoulders will be concrete”. Adding that “but the entire new lane, carriageway, will be constructed with concrete.” Stressing the agenda of President Tinubu for the road sector, Sen. Umahi reiterated that “I know very well that Mr. President's still desires that the public should get something much better. And he's giving all the support, so we still expect that you will fulfill the promise you made to Mr. President as we're going back to the status quo so that the public can benefit. “The very massive housing project Mr. President has embarked upon will definitely see the light of the day. And also, the massive road construction Mr. President has embarked upon will also benefit from this initiative.” Commenting on his impression of facility tour of BUA Cement, Sen Umahi said “So we have gone there, we have seen, and it's quite amazing, the complexity of the cement factory of BUA in Sokoto.” “We saw very organized industrial setup, no single dust. There was no need to use a nose mask. There was no loitering of workers, everything being in automation.” While speaking to journalists about the cooperation of BUA Group with the Federal Government on the reduction of price of cement, the Group Executive Director, BUA Cement, Alhaji Kabir Rabiu while thanking the Minister, told them his company stands by their commitment made to the Federal Government two weeks ago. He said further that “then we gave a commitment, not only on the pricing, but also on additional capacity to go to the market, reassuring that with 165 additional trucks on a daily basis from our Sokoto cement allotment, we're putting almost 400 trucks by day of cement into the market.” “We believe this additional capacity is going to have a serious positive effect on the supply and demand issue in the country, he emphasized. He reaffirmed that “we also gave in our commitment that we don't believe cement should sell more than 7,000 Naira anywhere in Nigeria. He thus promised that “we will continue to do our best to support this administration, to support Mr. President's agenda in ensuring that Nigerian economy is back on its feet and is doing so much better than it is doing at the moment.” On his part, the Senate Chairman of Committee on Housing, Senator Aminu Tambuwal noted that cement product is very critical and a major component towards delivery of housing projects by the Federal Government by state governments and even by the private sector in our country. The inspection visits by the Honourable Minister to Sokoto and Zamfara States will see him inspect four projects across four States; which includes Katsina and Kaduna States. ...

Feb

2024

How Sen. Umahi's Extra-Ordinary Project Supervision Power and Zero Tolerance for Waste Resonate in the Delivery of a Quality and Enduring Road Infrastructure Nationwide …..Last Inspection Visit to Enugu and Abia and Port Harcourt in Focus 1. As the appointment of an ingenious civil engineer, accomplished captain of industry and seasoned public administrator of many years standing as Works Minister by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR continues to receive commendation from Nigerians, the Hon. Minister of Works, H.E. Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi CON has continued to justify the confidence reposed on him. 2. This is evident in the innovations he introduced in road construction, maintenance, and management as well as concrete technology; his initiatives on project scoping and design, extra-ordinary contract negotiation powers, and precision; his new policy on having a COREN registered Engineers on project sites, working with the State Government's Works department for joint evaluation of projects awarded by Federal Government within the boundaries of their States and a thorough inspection of all projects embarked upon by the Federal Ministry of Works. The Hon. Minister of Works is a man who matches words with action. Since he came on board, he has continued to make it a point of duty to inspect ongoing projects, and the people are already seeing the difference, and this underscores the fact that Mr. President means business. The last project inspection visit of the Honourable Minister of Works was to road projects in Rivers, Abia, and Enugu States, which he inspected between 16th and 18th February 2024. 3. In the last inspection visit, the first port of call of the Honourable Minister was the dualization of East- West Road Section 11(Sub- Section 11) Ahoada- Kaiama (Rivers/ Bayelsa States) handled by Rock Result on three flood prone locations. The Honourable Minister, who arrived at the project site at about 6pm, commended the company for complying with specifications. He said, "........" This was also the impression expressed by the Senate Deputy Whip and member Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Distinguished Sen. Barr. Onyekachi Peter Nwaebonyi. "......" 4. The Honourable Minister continued his inspection visit the following day to see the ongoing upgrading of the section of the East- West Road section 111, from Eleme junction to Onne junction in Rivers State, handled by Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Ltd where he commended the improvements made by the company on the work specification. He tasked them with having a milestone performance before the rainy reason. "The Hon. Minister also made a stop over at Koroma Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State to solidarize with the Senate Committee Chairman on Works, Distinguished Senator Mpigi Barinada, PhD on his thanksgiving service in celebration of his successful election into the Senate. The programme which had in attendance who is who in the 10th National Assembly to have a feedback on the excitement of the people of the area on the quality of job done in the ongoing project in the area. 5. On the 18th day of February 2024, the Hon. Minister of Works covered five project locations along the Enugu- Port Harcourt Highway. He first visited the rehabilitation work at Enugu- Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 4(Aba- PH) handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). At the project location, the Hon. Minister frowned at the slow pace of work and the inability of the company to mobilize effectively to the site. He therefore directed the Ag. Controller of Works Rivers State to follow due process and issue 14 days Termination Notice within which if the company fails to mobilize, due process would be followed to terminate the contract. The Hon. Minister proceeded to the Aba axis of the expressway where he stopped over to inspect the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Enugu- Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 2, Umuahia Tower- Aba Aba Township Rail/ Road Crossing in Abia State. The Hon. Minister commended the speed and quality of job done and urged them to keep it up. ""....." This was followed by his inspection of the Rehabilitation of Enugu- Port Harcourt Expressway Section 3, Enugu- Lokpanta handled by CGC. The Hon. Minister also appreciate the progress of work "........" He ended the inspection with a visit to the rehabilitation work at the collapsed bridge site at the New Artisan Bridge near NNPC mega fillings station Enugu Capital City, Enugu State and the construction of 23 Span flyover Bridge project at Eke-Obinagu Junction (NNPC Depot), Along Enugu Abakaliki Road, Enugu State to decongest movement of gridlock in southeast. Meanwhile, the CCECC has been issued with the notice to fully mobilize to the site by the Controller of Works, Rivers. It is expected that by the time the Honourable Minister comes back in the nearest time, the company would have substantial work. Road infrastructure development across the nation is having commendable improvement. Nigeria will soon see that Mr. President means business with Nigeria's prosperity. ...

Feb

2024

Works Minister Pledges Robust Engagement with COREN on Development of Engineering Practice The Honourable Minister of Works, Sen. (Engr) Nweze David Umahi, CON, has pledged robust engagement with the Council for the Reregulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) on the development of engineering practice in Nigeria. “It is our intention to work with COREN and all other engineering affiliates, we will like to work with you as we have so far carried you along very well incorporating into a number of our committees and you have responded positively”. The Honourable Minister gave the pledge today when the leadership of COREN led by the President and Chairman of Council, Engr. Prof Sadiq Zubair Abubaker, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. Sen. Umahi, who spoke to the delegation in the presence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Yakubu Kofarmata, stressed the importance of partnering with the engineering body, noting that it has become expedient for COREN and other stakeholders to work for the development of the profession; especially the need to uphold professional ethics and excellence. Emphasizing the role of COREN, he said “I do believe strongly that the engineering body is not doing what should be done; there is supposed to be action where professional ethics are breached.” Continuing, he opined that “there should be punitive action taken that will help in promoting professional ethics and ultimately leading to promoting engineering service as in the case of other professions like Law.” On the need for the regulators to upscale their impact on the practice, he stated that “If the engineering bodies should do their work of ensuring the discipline of our profession, then we can get a better practice, a better society. The people you fail to supervise today are going to be the ones to build the bridges we will use tomorrow; that is the danger if we don’t do our own part to ensure that the professional ethics are enforced,” the Minister submitted. Earlier in his remarks, the President of COREN, Engr. Prof Sadiq Zubair Abubaker expressed his delight on how the Honourable Minister has in the last few months changed the narration in the critical sector of infrastructural development in the country. He reassured the Honourable Minister of continuing partnership with the Ministry in the interest of the development of the engineering practice in the country. In the delegation of COREN were the Registrar of COREN, Engr. Prof. Adisa Bello; the Head of Finance and Accounts, Lawan Mariri. Others include Engr Ahmed Kutigi, and Engr. Teah Andrew Onyilo. ...

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Jul

2024

OTHER NEWS

Sep

2021

National Council On Works Kicks Off In Bauchi

The 27th National Council on Works has kicked off in Bauchi, Bauchi State capital today, Monday, September 20th, 2021

The four- day Council Meeting has the theme:” Infrastructure Delivery; the Maintenance Economy and National Prosperity.”

In his opening remarks at the technical session, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Jide Ode-Martins, described the theme for this year’s Council as timely, considering the collective resolve to address the challenges in road development in the country within available resources.

He explained that the first 2 days of the meeting will be the technical meeting of the Directors, followed by the meeting of the Permanent Secretaries that will fine-tune the recommendations of the Directors' meeting and other stakeholders.

The outcome of the Permanent Secretaries' meeting, he added, will be presented to the Council meeting of States' Commissioners and heads of relevant agencies under the Chairmanship of the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing for final deliberation.

Accordingly, Ode-Martins stated that the responsibility of the technical meeting of the Directors and other stakeholders was to create a solid and resourceful foundation by reviewing diligently the memoranda submitted by stakeholders.

He called on all the participants to make necessary contributions towards a successful Council Meeting.

“Esteemed delegates and officials, the timing of this meeting is very significant as it affords us the opportunity to think through and make necessary provisions in our various institutions towards adequate infrastructure delivery and cultivate maintenance culture to improve national prosperity,” he said.

Earlier, in his welcome address the Permanent Secretary Bauchi State Ministry of Works and Transport, Engr Stephen Abubakar, said that the theme of the meeting was suitable to the present situation in the country where there was the need to rethink infrastructure delivery and its maintenance for socio-economic development of the nation.

He further said that the meeting would provide the required platform for participants in the works sector to articulate policies that would provide the enabling environment and guide the path that would lead the country in bridging infrastructure gaps through innovative delivery and effective maintenance culture.

In attendance at the opening ceremony were critical stakeholders of the Works sector from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and representatives of the private sector.

SPEECHES

Nov

2019

Speech Delivered By The Honourable Minister Of Works And Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN At The Opening Ceremony Of The 70th Session Of The Trans Sahara Road Liaison Committee (TRLC)

PROTOCOLS

I am pleased to welcome the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, who is represented by Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, Hon. Minister of Police Affairs to the 70th Session of the Trans Sahara Road Liaison Committee. I especially thank his Excellency, on behalf of the Trans Sahara Road Liaison Committee for granting us the approval to host this Session in Nigeria.

2. I will also like to extend a special welcome to Member Country Ministers in charge of road infrastructure from Republic of Tunisia, Peoples Democratic Republic of Algeria, Republic of Mali, Republic of T’chad and Republic of the Niger. The last Ministerial meeting of the TRLC was held in 2014 in Algiers, Algeria therefore I believe there is a lot of information the Secretariat and the Experts will be sharing with us over the next two days.

3. Every session of the TRLC has the objective of discussing issues relating to the route, the financing and relationship with continental organisations such as the African Union Commission (AUC), African Development Bank (AfDB), New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) who are our partners in the development of the Trans Sahara Road (TSR).

4. In this light, the TRLC member countries would like to appreciate the contributions of these organisations in no small measure towards the development of the route.

5. Before going into some of the details, I believe that Nigeria’s hosting of this event, necessitates that we provide some background information about what this is about and what it means for ordinary Nigerians:

* To start with it is useful for every African to be aware of the existence of a Trans African Highway Plan seeking to connect Africa from Cape Town to Tunisia either by driving through East Africa Border, the West African Border or through the Centre of Africa.

* There is also a Coast to Coast connectivity from West to East Africa, North East Africa to North West Africa and South West Africa to East Africa.

* A total of 9 (Nine) Highways at different stages of construction are meant to achieve this connectivity. Three of these Highways pass through the Territory of Nigeria, namely:

(a) Lagos – Dakar (through Seme in Benin Republic);
(b) Lagos – Mombasa (through Yaoundè in Cameroon); and
(c) Lagos – Algiers, which is the one supported by this Committee and this is the subject of our meeting.

* This road covers 9,022km (7,171km 80%) is asphalt while 1,851km (20%) is earth road.

* It serves 37 regions, 74 urban centres with 60 million inhabitants in 6 (six) Countries who are members of this Committee. It is important to underscore here that the critical part of the Trans Sahara Highway which in centuries past is plied by Camels and Horses for trade has now developed for use by vehicles.

* For Nigerians it is important to know that 1,131km of the 9,022km passes through our country from Lagos to Ibadan, Ilorin – Jebba, Kaduna – Kano – Kongolam where we have a border with Niger Republic.

6. The development of the Trans Sahara Route is to ensure integration, improvement of economic activities and cooperation between Member Countries. This will provide the business community access to explore and maximise the enormous economic opportunities available within member countries. There are immense possibilities from Fashion, Agriculture, Technology, Energy to Film and Music.The journey from 1960 when the Trans Sahara Route (TSR) was established till date has not been easy, but concerted efforts must be made at realising the objectives of the TSR.

7. The entire section of the 1,131km long Trans Sahara Route in Nigeria from Lagos – Ibadan – Ilorin – Kaduna – Kano – Kongolam Niger Republic Border has asphalt surfacing. The current activity on the various section of the route are as follows:

* The Lagos-Ibadan road is 127km long. The Lagos-Shagamu section (43.6Km) is being developed into a 3-lane dual carriageway while the Shagamu-Ibadan section (83.4Km) is being reconstructed as a 2-lane dual carriageway.

* The Ibadan-Ilorin section of the road is a dual carriageway of 160km long out of which 105.5km has been dualised leaving only 54.2km that is in progress of being dualised. The old alignment is being maintained to ensure free flow of traffic at all times.

* The Ilorin-Jebba-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna section of the route is 458km long single lane carriageway. The Ilorin-Jebba section that is 105km long has been fully rehabilitated and is currently being dualised while the Jebba-Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna section (353km) is also being considered for future dualisation.

* Kaduna – Kano dual carriageway which is 230km long is under reconstruction and the work is currently being executed in three sections to enable speedy completion.

* Kano – Kazaure – Kongolam Section is 133km long and is a single lane carriageway.

8. The progress of works that we are achieving on these routes in the coming weeks and months will strengthen integration, cultural cooperation and economic trade and competition in the African Continental Free Trade Area.

9. The importance of the Trans Sahara Route to the Nigeria economy is underlined by the priority Mr. President has placed on the funding, wherein, the reconstruction of the Lagos – Ibadan Section and the Kaduna – Kano Section is included under Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) to ensure that there is no funding gap associated with the execution of the works, and the recent signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) Treaty.

10. While Trade and cultural integration are important, safety is also paramount and I am delighted to announce that just last Wednesday the Federal Executive Council approved that Nigeria should ratify and domesticate the African Road Safety Charter adopted at 26th ordinary session of the African Union Commission in January 2016 in Addis Ababa.

11. Once more, my gratitude goes to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari for hosting of the 70th session of the TRLC in Nigeria and the support given to the development of the section of the Trans Sahara road in Nigeria, to the Member Country Ministers for the support they have given to the development of the Trans Sahara Road within their respective countries and for the support of our financial partners over the years.

12. I also congratulate Member Country Experts and the Secretary General for a job well done and to remind you that there is still a lot of work that is yet to be accomplished.

13. You are all welcome to the 70th Session of the Trans Sahara Road Liaison Committee, you are most welcome to Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, and you are especially welcome to Nigeria.

Thank you.

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Honourable Minister
November, 2019