Federal Ministry of Works

Sep

2026

LATEST PRESS

FG EMBARKS ON DECISIVE EMERGENCY INTERVENTION ON BENIN-ASABA EXPRESSWAY

The Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, has kick-started the Federal Government’s emergency intervention on the Benin–Asaba Highway under the Ministry’s “Operation Rescue” initiative, aimed at restoring safe, smooth, and uninterrupted movement along the critical corridor. The intervention, to be carried out by the Ministry, through the hiring of equipment and direct implementation, is a demonstration of its determination to address the severe deterioration of sections of the road and bring immediate relief to motorists, commuters, businesses, and the affected communities. He made this known during the inauguration of *"Operation Rescue Benin -Asaba Expressway”* at Benin City, Edo State on Thursday, 24 September, 2026. The Benin–Asaba Highway is a strategic Federal Highway that commences at AIF Roundabout in Benin City, Edo State, and terminates at Summit Junction in Asaba, Delta State, with a distance of 125km. It was concessioned to the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company (BAECC) by the immediate past administration but the handing over of the site was performed by the present one in March, 2025. However, it has since been proven that the Concessionaire lacks the technical and financial capabilities to execute the project. This was established by the *Independent Engineer (I.E.)* for the project, *Messrs Yolas Consultants Limited*.* Considering the plight of road users and the continued deterioration of the concessioned road, the I.E. advised the Ministry to urgently take all necessary steps to save it from further deterioration, avert further gridlock, assuage the suffering of motorists, as well as save the Federal Government from embarrassment.

Engr. Umahi has personally been monitoring the implementation of the concession project, through several site visits and issued instructions via the I.E. for the *Concessionaire* to stick to the Ministry’s standards and methodology, which were not complied with leading to the worsening of the road condition. Hence, the Ministry’s intervention to save the critically failed sections of the Expressway, through the deployment of equipment and personnel.

The Federal Ministry of Works, according to the Minister, is poised to alleviate the hardship being experienced by road users and communities on the corridor, alike. He reiterated that the Federal Government would not allow the condition of a major national artery to continue to undermine economic activities, the movement of people, goods, and services, as well as the safety of road users and the host communities. He stressed that the emergency intervention is focused on achieving immediate traffic relief, while providing a sustainable engineering solution to the identified problem spots.

According to him, the intervention is also being driven by the overriding need to protect public interest and ensure that Nigerians using the road are not left to bear the consequences of the deteriorating infrastructure occasioned by the lapses of the *Concessionaire.* The Minister emphasised that *” this is not a new contract but an immediate solution to the plight of road users.”* He reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to restoring critical road infrastructure across the country and ensuring that emergencies receive prompt and decisive attention.

*“Operation Rescue”* is about immediate action, restoration of movement, and protection of the travelling public and communities along the corridor. *“We are determined to address the failed sections and, thereafter, provide a durable solution that will serve Nigerians for many years,”* the Minister asserted.

Engr. Umahi called on road users and people along the corridor to cooperate with the Ministry’s officials and traffic-management personnel, as emergency works commence, assuring them that the Ministry would continue to monitor progress and take all necessary measures to minimise hardship during the period of the intervention. “*I am pleading with motorists to exercise patience, observe traffic-management directives and drive cautiously around active construction zones,* he stated.

Engr. Umahi highly commended President Tinubu's concern over the well-being of citizens, reiterating that *”the Ministry remains committed to restoring the Benin–Asaba Expressway to a safe, functional and durable condition in the overall interest of Nigerians and the national economy."*

Before this, the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo had demonstrated his commitment to the welfare of his people during the protest in August, 2026 caused by the bad state of the road by immediately identifying with the situation and dispatching his Chief of Staff to appeal for calm and reassure the affected communities and motorists of immediate remedial action. Speaking at the Ceremony, His Excellency appreciated the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his prompt and decisive intervention, as well as the Minister of Works for his continued commitment to the provision of road infrastructure across the country.

The Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Deputy, Charles Anaogu, expressed much gratitude for the immediate response in restoring the all-important road. *”It is a well-desired action to better the lives of the people of Delta State and the general public,* he added.

The *representative of the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC),* applauded the President for his commitment to the development of the Niger Delta region. He also commended the Honourable Minister for his steadfastness to the welfare of the people of the zone and Nigerians, at large.

Delivering the Welcome Address earlier, the Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Project Implementation and Monitoring, Engr. Phoebe William Bello, described the rescue operation as very timely in reinstating the critical transportation corridor connecting communities, facilitating mobility, commerce and trade between Edo and Delta States with the other parts of the country. Therefore,*its importance cannot be overstated,”* she noted.

The occasion was graced by lots of dignitaries and Goodwill Messages were delivered by the Deputy Governors of Edo and Delta States, the Rt. Honourable Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, the Youth Leader of Ikpaba Hill Community, and other stakeholders, who unanimously eulogised the Federal Government’s proactive response.

Sep

2023

South East: Redesign the Failed Portions with Concrete Pavement - Umahi The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Nweze David Umahi has directed that the failed portions of the Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway Section III: Enugu – Lokpanta in Enugu State should be redesigned with concrete pavement. The Minister stated this at the inspection of the road which marks the beginning of his South East Road inspection tour scheduled to take place throughout the week starting from Tuesday 5th September – Saturday 9th September 2023. Umahi reaffirmed that construction work on the federal roads must be done right to avoid coming back to redo an already completed work, he commented on some portions where the binder wearing has been completed but has now failed. “We noticed a couple of failures in some completed and uncompleted sections, contractors must go back and amend them, I believe that bad asphalt resulted to the failure and we cannot take that” ‘he said. The Minister pointed out that some portions of the expressway inspected so far needs urgent and immediate attention and directed the Director in charge of the South East geo-political zone, Engr. Bede Obioha from the Ministry to come up with recommendations for the accomplishment of his directives. “From Km 0+00 left hand side needed immediate attention up to Ozalla and should be amended on rigid pavement and the entire right-hand side also must be on same rigid pavement, Director Highways south East take note. Umahi commended the contractor for the work done so far and encouraged them to continue to keep the pace and on the issue of finance, the Ministry will do their best to make sure fund is provided. Addressing the Minister earlier, the Director Highways South East, Engr. Bede Obioha briefed the Minister on the project and also assured him that all the recommendations sited shall be corrected. The Contractor, Messrs. CGC Nigeria Limited thanked the Minister for visiting the site and promised to work on the failed portions but revealed that the challenge they have is paucity of fund as well as the rainy season, after which, the failed portions shall be corrected. ...

Sep

2023

Ondo State Hails the Appointment of Minister of Works. .....Ooni Of Ife, Senator Iyiola Omisore Discuss Osun Roads with Umahi The Honourable Minister of Works Engr David Nweze Umahi has explained the reasons of his working visit to the South West and other regions of the country, he said “I have been in Lagos and South West since Monday to evaluate the ongoing projects especially bridges that are so important to Lagos economy, the issue of concrete technology on our roads and review of road contracts, that is why we are going around to see how we can redesign our roads with concrete pavement”. He made these remarks while meeting with the Deputy Governor of Ondo State Mr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa who received him on behalf of the state. The Minister during his visit also explained how Ondo State can partner with the Federal Government through the Highway Development Initiative (HDMI) in building Federal Government roads in Ondo State. The Minister said ‘Most Federal roads are connecting one state to the other and when such is cut off the economic viability of such states are in trouble, that is why I am presenting to the Economic Council to allow us to access funds to conclude some of these roads and if we don’t conclude them, it will impact negatively on these states economy.” The Deputy Governor who spoke on behalf of Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu CON SAN during the meeting in the Governor's office said “Your appointment has not come to us as a surprise, congratulations on your nomination, clearance and inauguration by Mr. President it is a well-deserved appointment , because as a former Governor your antecedent made you the first among the rest and your experience in the terrain of infrastructural development and governance is in no small measure”. The Deputy Governor said "the zeal at which you have commenced official engagement with your visit to the South West zone has given us excitement that better days are here for real”. He said the “APC administration in this state has taken a giant stride in infrastructural development by building quality roads in all the Sectorial district of the state”. Earlier, the Minister after his tour of the dualization of lbadan road (Mayfair Junction)- Lagere-Iremo –Enuwa- Ilesha Bye-Pass in Osun State paid a courtesy visit on the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, (Ọjájá II) CFR with Senator Iyiola Ajani Omisore at the Ooni palace where the Minister explained to them the advantages of building roads with concrete in Osun State. ...

Sep

2023

Highway Inspection: Umahi Meets with Ogun and Oyo State Governors .....Lagos – Abuja to take four hours journey through supersonic highways –Works Minister .....You have demonstrated capacity and experience for promising immediate approval for state governments to fix Federal roads – Ogun State Governor to Umahi .....Oyo – Iseyin road to be commissioned in September – Makinde Minister of Works Engr David Nweze Umahi CON, confirmed “Let me announce to you that Lagos proposed 4th Mainland Bridge Supersonic Highway will take four hours to drive from Lagos to Abuja , he said "we had a presentation on it yesterday with the consultant , and it's going to be on Public Private Partnership (PPP) , driving from Lagos to Abuja will take 4hrs , we are concluding on it within one or two months and work will start’" he made this remarks during his meeting with the Ogun State Governor, Princ Dapo Abiodun in his Office in Abeokuta , the Ogun State capital. Umahi informed the Governor “ We have a programme called Highway Development Management Initiative ( HDMI) and it allows states and other Private Investors to engage with the FG either to take over a fully constructed road to toll and maintain it in partnership with Federal Government or take a brand new road and reconstruct it and toll it, under laid down agreement, l am very much open to that, we also bring some roads architecture into this kind of arrangement; solar lights where we can fix CCTV to monitor our roads and increase visibility, this will largely reduce insecurity and also create service stations, we can monitor security at these service stations, we have mini clinics , toll vans at this stations just as we see outside the country.” The Minister said “it is better to break the law and save the life of Nigerians “. He told the Governor that any state government that wants to do PPP with Federal Government has his approval already. “Your Excellency, I am here for you I pledge to my country and to you to align with your heartbeat with the welfare of your people, road is everything when you have good road, insecurity is reduced, economy will boom, trade will thrive, education will thrive road is one infrastructure that will touch every sector of our economy. Mr President is very committed to fixing our road that will last 50years” Umahi said. The Honourable Minister explained that when people are suffering, they don’t talk about who owns the road, fixing the road is what they are interested in and that was what Ogun, Lagos and Oyo State Governments were doing,” anyone that is complaining that he cannot fix Nigeria road is playing politics”. While holding similar meeting with His Excellency the Executive Governor of Oyo State Engr Seyi Makinde in his office in Ibadan, the Hon. Minister of Works commended Oyo government for working on Federal Roads “You have done quite a number of roads and you were not waiting that you must have all approval before you do it, if we are waiting for due process of refund for working on FG roads, our people will be the ones to suffer. We are excited with Governor Seyi Makinde, we as a government have also done a number of roads” Umahi said. His Excellency, the Governor of Ogun State Prince Dapo Abiodun, in his reaction told the Minister” I thank you for the remarks you made about how we have been very indiscriminate in working on roads weather they are Federal or State roads, when our citizens are suffering on the road, they don’t ask who owns the road.” ‘I thank you for saying you will give approval to any State Government that wants to fix Nigerian roads, that has demonstrated your capacity and understanding” the Governor said. During the Minister of Works meeting with the Oyo State Governor, he said “For us If a road is important to our economy we just go ahead and fix it, an example is the road between Oyo and Iseyin, the road passes through our major Agric business hub and for Agro processors in the area, they need good roads to evacuate their products". FG asked us to follow the Federal standard in building the road which we did, the project is about 34km and shall be commissioned September 15, 2023. Top Management Staff of the Ministry of Works and State dignitaries were present at both meetings. ...

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Nov

2025

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Oct

2017

Shehuri Solicits Support From Development Partners

The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri has solicited for more support from Development Partners in the areas of technical and financial assistance to help his Ministry fully implement the Power Sector Recovery Plan (PSRP) initiatives.

Shehuri stated this at a meeting between Officials of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Power Sector) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), in his office.

The Minister disclosed that the crux of the meeting was to appraise progress made on the implementation of the Power Sector Recovery Plan (PSRP) embarked upon by the Ministry as an integral part of the Nigeria Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERG).

Shehuri lamented the challenge being faced by the sector as that of strengthening the Distribution Infrastructure within the electricity value-chain in order to make it perform optimally.

The Minister revealed that with the support of the Development Partners especially, the African Development Bank (AfDB), generation and transmission capacities in the country has increased to an all-time high of 7,001MW and 6, 800MW respectively. He added that the only area that needs more attention from the Development Partners is that of expansion of distribution network.

The Minister commended the African Development Bank (AfDB), while assuring them of Federal Government’s co-operation on the full implementation of the Power Sector Recovery Plan (PSRP).

Earlier on, the Leader of the delegation from the AfDB and Chief Evaluation Officer, Penelope Jackson, said the objectives of the meeting with the Ministry is to assess the level of achievement so far recorded in the implementation of the Power Sector Recovery Plan (PSRP), which the Bank supports.

In attendance at the Meeting were the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Power Sector) Lious Edozien, Directors of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Power Sector),Leader of the Implementation Team of the PSRP and representatives of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Rural Electrification Agency (REA), among others.