The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, provided an update on the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway project during a statement in Lagos on Saturday, assuring that substantial progress is being made.
He highlighted that the first 120 km of the project in Sokoto is currently under construction, with work being carried out by Hitech using concrete.
“The project has been procured, and work is ongoing by Hitech, using concrete,” Umahi confirmed.
He also mentioned that work is progressing on the Kebbi section, spanning 250 km, with expectations to complete approximately 20 km in both sections for commissioning by May 29, 2025.
“We believe strongly that we will be able to have about 20 km in both sections to commission by May 29, 2025,” he added.
In addition to the Sokoto-Badagry project, Umahi discussed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, stating that the Federal Government aims to inaugurate the first 20 km in Section One and 10 km in Section Two of the highway by May 29, 2025.
The minister acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s significant role in funding these projects, despite his commitments to other key sectors of the economy.
“The President has given very serious attention to road infrastructure,” Umahi praised.
Umahi further applauded Tinubu’s foresight in initiating major projects to connect key economic corridors, enhancing the transport system across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“This coastal highway and, of course, the four legacy projects all have train tracks incorporated,” Umahi noted, adding that construction of the train tracks for this section will begin in 2025.
He expressed confidence that these projects would provide Nigerians with much-needed road infrastructure.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi emphasized its potential socio-economic impact, mentioning plans to plant trees and establish lay bays.
He explained that lay bays would be strategically placed every five kilometers, equipped with CCTV cameras and security personnel, reducing the response time to emergencies to approximately 10 minutes.
“We are going to plant trees, and, of course, we are also going to have some lay bays. We can decide that in every five kilometers, we have a lay bay where we connect all our CCTV cameras, and then we have vehicles and the security within the cabin there, so that the response time will be like 10 minutes,” Umahi said.
The minister also revealed that the coastal highway project would be scaled back from 10 lanes to six lanes at a lower cost, following a recent review.
