The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a slew of major road contracts and project reviews valued at over N400 billion, aimed at enhancing road infrastructure across Nigeria. Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, disclosed this after the FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Umahi, the council approved 11 memos, including nine reviews of inherited projects and two new contract awards. One of the approved projects is the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Phase Two, Section Two, which will be constructed at a cost of N43 billion to address failed portions and complete underpasses and ramps. Additionally, the dualisation of the Mushin-NNPC Junction-Papa Oshodi Expressway was reviewed from N11 billion to N19 billion due to cost differentials.
The council also approved the construction of Section Three of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, covering 162.97 kilometers from Badagry through Ogun to Oyo State border, at a cost of N3.39 billion per kilometer. Several ongoing projects inherited from previous administrations were reviewed for funding and design adjustments, including the Ilorin-Omu Aran-Egba road and the old Enugu-Onitsha road.
The 216-kilometer Ilorin-Omu Aran-Egba road has been phased, with 31 kilometers to be executed under Phase One at a cost of N43 billion, while the remaining 184 kilometers will follow when funding improves. The East-West Road project was redesigned to improve traffic flow and pavement strength, with Phase One maintained at N156 billion for dual carriageways and bridges.
Umahi noted that several state governments have taken over federal road projects within their jurisdictions to ease funding pressure and speed up delivery. The review of the Ota-Idi-Iroko road project in Ogun State, which now features rigid concrete pavement and an additional bridge, brings its cost from N38 billion to N52 billion.
The FEC also approved the rehabilitation of the Jos-Turunku-Maraban-Jama’a road in Kaduna State for N30 billion, as well as the reconstruction of the Ijebu-Ibu Ete-Egba-Owena road in Ogun and Ondo States for N53 billion. The minister reiterated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to concrete-based road construction for durability and cost efficiency, stating that the focus remains on delivering durable road infrastructure to support economic growth and ease of movement across the federation.