Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council has approved 631.3 billion naira for nine road infrastructure projects across the country, Minister of Works David Umahi told State House correspondents on Wednesday after a council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu. The approvals cover new construction, remedial works and rehabilitation under the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The three largest awards are 209 billion naira for the reconstruction of the 81.1 kilometre Ado-Ilawe-Ilumaba-Ikole Road in Ekiti State, including a bridge; 167 billion naira for the 95 kilometre Etuke-Okene-Ankpa-Otopa Road in Kogi State; and 89.2 billion naira for the 47 kilometre Bichi Ring Road in Kano State, including a flyover. Together those three take about 465 billion naira of the total.
The remaining six are about 62 billion naira for the Tungo-Karamti Road linking Adamawa and Taraba states, with five bridges; 30 billion naira for remedial works on deteriorated sections of the East-West Road; 28.218 billion naira for rehabilitating a 17 kilometre section of the Sokoto-Illela Road; 20.257 billion naira for an 18 kilometre road linking Asiago to the Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway; 14.486 billion naira for the Dikko-Maje link road in Niger State; and 11.33 billion naira for a road project previously handled by the Abia State Government, which needs a new funding arrangement after its financing under the national oil company’s tax credit scheme was discontinued.
Umahi also reported that the first 118 kilometre section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway has been completed, 81 kilometres of it in reinforced concrete pavement, with work on the remaining section nearing completion. Separately, Nigerian reporting noted that workers on sections of the East-West Road, one of the corridors receiving remedial money in this package, have downed tools in a dispute over pay and conditions.