Federal Ministry of Works

Mar

2026

LATEST PRESS

UMAHI DECLARES AN END TO YEARS OF DEADLY TRAPS AND GRIDLOCK ON THE ENUGU–ONITSHA EXPRESSWAY, SETS MARCH 31 DEADLINE FOR REOPENING

The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON has declared that the long-troubled Enugu–Onitsha Expressway is fast shedding its grim past, as the Federal Government intensifies a sweeping infrastructure upgrade across the South-East under the President, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

Umahi made the declaration on Monday, March 23, 2026, during an inspection of ongoing projects in Enugu, including the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway and the Eke-Obinagu Flyover, where he expressed confidence that the era of consistent fatal accidents, endless traffic, and public frustration along the road is coming to an end.

“I’m going round the six geopolitical zones assessing what is possibly to be commissioned before May 29th by Mr President. There are mega project that the President will be available for before May 29th and we mean it,” the Minister said.

Once regarded as one of the most dangerous highways in the region, the Enugu–Onitsha road had for years been plagued by tanker explosions, loss of lives, and economic disruptions. But Umahi said decisive intervention by the Tinubu administration has changed the trajectory.

“Now this route, the Enugu-Onitsha expressway, you recall that when we came on board, everyday, people were talking about this road. There were a lot of tanker accidents, a lot of people died and so forth. But my joy is that the whole thing is a past story, because the President has swinged into action,” he stated.

The Minister disclosed that the dual carriageway, which spans 107 kilometres on each side, is undergoing a major structural shift, with a significant portion being converted from asphalt to concrete to ensure durability.

“It is not only that we are repairing this road… about half of it is going on to be concrete. I have no confidence in asphalt I continue to say it. By the time the asphalt fail we will have 50 percent of the road still intact and if it fails within the second tenure of the president then be rest assured that we will fix it,” he said.

He added that the same approach is being extended to sections in Anambra State, including the head bridge axis, where an initial asphalt design is being replaced with concrete pavement to align with modern highway standards.

“At the head Bridge we have 39k, we’re changing that to concrete so that we can have this coastal road type of road pavement there in Anambra and here in Enugu,”.

Beyond reconstruction, the project is also being enhanced with solar-powered street lighting and environmental features aimed at improving safety and sustainability.

“So that is going to happen but then not only that. We are putting solar light both for the one that was constructed before us and the one that is being done by us. Within the first one week we will have solar light up to this 1km and we continue we are also going to plant trees which is very important,” he added.

The Minister urged the people of the South-East to recognise the level of federal intervention in the region, noting that such attention to infrastructure was previously lacking.

“The people of South East have to be very grateful to Mr President. The reason is that we never had it like this. I was governor for 8 years and I can’t think of any Federal road project in Ebonyi State,” he said.

He also cautioned against divisive narratives, warning that some actors were misleading the public for selfish interests.

“I want to ask our people to be very very careful, there are people that pretend that they are helping us but they actually inciting us against government… we need to know when people are genuinely interested in our case,” he said.

Calling for sustained support for President Tinubu, Umahi described the ongoing works as part of a broader effort to correct past neglect and integrate the South-East more fully into national development.

“Let us allow this man that have started to right the wrong metted on us as the people of Southeast in the past. Let us allow him the next four years and we will be very much fully integrated,” he stated, adding, “To know the revolution that is going on in infrastructure… this is the Biafra we are looking for.”

As a major milestone, the Minister directed that the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway be reopened for public use on or before March 31.

“I have given the controller the authority, by the 31st or before, he should call the press to open this road, call the people of South East… let them know that this road is open for travel and that will be our Easter celebration,”.

Addressing concerns over project costs, Umahi clarified that the Ministry of Works does not unilaterally determine project pricing, noting that approvals pass through multiple regulatory layers, including the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Federal Executive Council.

“I’m not the final authority when it comes to the cost of a project, there are layers of approval, the Bureau of Public Procurement, their own stands and not my own,” he explained.

He maintained that the standard being applied to the Enugu–Onitsha project is consistent with major road projects across the country.

“The same road architecture as the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway… so no discrimination with the president, everybody is the same,” Umahi said.

Jan

2025

Project Inspection: Minister Chides Contractor In continuation of his inspection of projects in the South-South geopolitical zone, the Minister of Works, Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE visited ongoing works on the Dualisation of East-West Road, Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) and the Construction of Multiple Box Culverts at Flood Affected Areas on East-West Road, Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers and Bayelsa States, yesterday, Wednesday, 8th January, 2025. Engr. Umahi disclosed that he was highly impressed with the quality of work on Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) by Messrs Setraco (Nig.) Ltd. but directed them to speed up the process through the addition of more resources to the job. He reminded them that the April, 2025 delivery date remains sacrosanct. He directed that due to the nature of the soil in the areas affected by floods, where box culverts are being constructed, continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) should be used. The affected area is about 2.3 kilometres. The Project Manager of Setraco, Engr. Isaa Michel, while appreciating the Minister for the site inspection and the savory, as well as unsavoury comments, promised to hasten the pace of work, to meet the dateline. The Minister was also at the site of the Construction of Multiple Box Culverts on the East-West Road being handled by Messrs Rock Result (Nig.) Ltd., where he praised the standard of work but frowned at the level of work achieved. He expressed his disappointment with the pace, stating that the contract was scheduled for finishing by November, 2024 but was extended to December and is still uncompleted. He, therefore, gave the contractor up till the end of January, 2025 to complete it or it stands revoked. Engr. Umahi informed the contractor that the provision of roads and bridges remains a top priority of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Revolution of the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. He advised them to up their games or be left at the bus stop ...

Jan

2025

Umahi Inspects Sections of East-West Road, Enugu - Port Harcourt Expressway and Bodo - Bonny Road - Sets Clear Expectations for Contractors, Urges Swift Action to Meet Infrastructure Deadlines The Minister of Works, Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, while expressing satisfaction with the quality of work on the East-West Road, Section III (Eleme Junction - Onne Junction), has directed the Contractor, Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) to deploy more resources to hasten the pace of work or face re-scoping and re-award of the contract. The Minister gave the warning yesterday, Wednesday, 8th January, 2025, while inspecting the progress of work on the project. He reminded the contractor that he has up to the end of April, 2025 to deliver a section of the carriageway. Engr. Umahi, began the inspection of ongoing road projects in the South East and South South geopolitical zones on Tuesday, 7th January, 2024 with the Enugu - Port Harcourt Expressway, Section III (Umuahia - Aba). He applauded the contractor, Messrs Arab Contractors (Nig.) Ltd. on the quality of work but instructed them to deploy in two more sites to speed up the construction and, most importantly, meet the set dateline. The Minister was also on Section IV (Aba - Port Harcourt) of the same alignment being handled by Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC). He expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work, noting that they have only been able to access N7, 000,000,000:00K (Seven Billion Naira) out of the N21,000,000,000:00k (Twenty -One Billion Naira) provided for the project, last year. Consequently, he instructed the Federal Controller of Works (FCW), Rivers State to issue a warning to the contractor, promising to terminate it, if there are no improvements in the tempo of work. The tour of duty also took the Minister to the Bodo-Bonny Road, where he, again, voiced discontent with the level of work achieved. He prodded the Contractor, Messrs Julius Berger (Nig.) Plc (JBN) to upscale their deployment of men, materials and machines, despite working throughout the Yuletide holidays. The project, a critical component of the South-South zone’s infrastructure development, is a 2-lane road with hard shoulders, 17 bridges spanning 3,200 meters and reinforced concrete pavement on Bonny Island. At all construction sites visited, Engr. Umahi stressed the urgency to meet deadlines, emphasising that all Federal contractors must intensify their efforts to ensure the timely realisation of projects, in line with the Federal Government’s resolve to enhance infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth, succinctly captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda. The essence is to improve connectivity, as well as stimulate socio-economic growth, he further explained. The Minister issued clear directives to Federal Controllers of Works to present at least four (4) completed projects, each, for commissioning from February to 20th May, this year. "The expectation is that every Controller delivers on his mandates, according to specifications and time allotted. There is no room for further delays," he declared. In light of the delay in the delivery of some projects, the Minister cautioned that the Ministry is poised to take decisive action. "The Ministry will not tolerate delays. Any contractor, who does not meet his contractual obligations, will face consequences, cumulating into a 14-day Notice of Termination of Contract," he added, emphasizing that such actions would apply to all underperforming contracts. Despite the challenges, he reassured Nigerians that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR remains fully committed to the completion of inherited projects, as well as the four (4) Legacy Projects he initiated. “The President has not abandoned these projects. It is the contractors, who have delayed the work. This year, we will be stricter in ensuring that projects are completed on course,” he assured. Engr. Umahi guaranteed that the Ministry will continue to closely monitor all ongoing projects, ensuring that they align with President Tinubu’s vision for accelerated national growth and development. He concluded by calling for greater teamwork from all stakeholders in the management and delivery of road and bridge projects. "We all need to work together - government, contractors and the general public towards ensuring that deadlines are met. No contractor should collect government funds and fail to deliver on their promises. Henceforth, we will be more observant and take necessary actions towards ensuring the successful completion of these projects," he reasserted. ...

Dec

2024

SEN. UMAHI COMMENDS WORK PROGRESS ON LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY PROJECT, RECOUNTS PROSPECTS OF RENEWED HOPE LEGACY PROJECTS TO NATION'S ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. -SAYS, PROJECT REVIEW ON AWARDED SECTIONS OF THE COASTAL HIGHWAY IMMINENT TO FACTOR ADJUSTMENT IN ALIGNMENT AND DELIVERABLES The progress and quality of work being done on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project has been commended as a signature of excellence and innovation on road infrastructure development by the Renewed Hope administration of the President of Nigeria, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. This commendation was made by the Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi CON, when he paid inspection visits to Sections I and II of the project in Lagos being handled by Hitech Construction Company Ltd on 20th December 2024. Speaking on the deliverables of the investment, the Honourable Minister stated that the contract would be reviewed to accommodate landmark features that would add value to the socio-economic potentials of the project. "We're going to plant trees. And of course, we are going to also have some lay bay. We can decide every five kilometres 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. I'm sure that you've witnessed what we did at Third Mainland Bridge. That's what we intend to replicate in all our highways. And so the entire stretch of 750 kilometers to Calabar will be under CCTV, powered by solar. And then every five kilometers or 10 or 15, as we may agree, we will have portal cabin where we have security posts, no blocking of the roads, we have a viewing centre, and then you view the entire stretch left and right. We will agree on the number of kilometers, depending on the capacity of the cameras." On the imperative of the contract review, he further stated," The service lane was never envisaged, CCTV camera was never envisaged. There was no single item of work, like we're having in all the projects from the removal of topsoil, not to talk of the removal of debris. He praised the vision of Mr. President in initiating legacy projects that would connect the critical economic corridors and boost transportation ecosystem in the 6 Geo- political Zones. He noted that the four Renewed Hope legacy projects and the inherited ongoing projects were on course and that milestone project execution was adopted to ensure a sense of equality among the 6 Geo-Political Zones. He said that some of the sections of the projects being executed nationwide, including the inherited ongoing projects, would be ready for commissioning by May 2025. "Work is progressing on Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. We have the Sokoto- Badagry Superhighway. Work is seriously in progress on the project. The first 120 km, work is going on Sokoto. It has been procured. And work is going on by Hitech, using concrete. And then, you have the Kebbi section, 250 km. Work is also going on there. And so, we believe strongly that we'll be able to have about 20 km in both sections to commission by May 29th. In section one of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in South West, we are very sure that we'll commission the first 20 km in section one and 10 km in section two." He commended the intervention of Mr. President in the area of funding of the projects despite his interventions in other critical priority sectors of the economy. "The President has given very serious attention to road infrastructure. Don't forget that this Coastal Highway and, of course, the four Legacy Projects all have the train track incorporated. The construction of the train track for this section I is going to take off in 2025. So this is what we are doing. And we believe strongly that the President is going to give the nation of Nigeria the road infrastructure that they have been yearning for." Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Olukorede Kashia recounted the experiences encountered at the commencement of the project but expressed confidence in the timely delivery of the project by the contractor handling the project. "We encountered a lot of issues which were not foreseen because they were really covered. Like I said earlier, when you're doing a preliminary design, you cannot do a borehole at every meter. So when you do, at one meter, you do another one at 20 meters. So, in the process of executing the project, we encountered a lot of refuse dumps. It was like this place was like Olushosun, where they dump dirt to the magnitude of about five meters depth in some places. And then the contractor has carted away all that and then replaced it with good soil. That's sand filling from the ocean, as you can see, good sand filling, and then we had to wait a little." Others who spoke during the event were the Acting Director of Highways Road Design, Engr. Saidu Musa and the Managing Director of Hitech Construction Company Ltd, Dany Abboud ...

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PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Nov

2025

OTHER NEWS

Feb

2022

FG ADDRESSING ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS –FASHOLA

· As Minister hands over 1.05 KM internal road rehabilitated by Ministry in University of Abuja

· “It used to be one of the worst roads we have in this campus, especially during the Rainy Season; now it has become the best”, says VC

The Federal Government is working assiduously in addressing the road infrastructure challenges in tertiary institutions across the country, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has said. Fashola, who spoke in Abuja, Thursday during the formal commissioning and handover of the 1.05 kilometre road project rehabilitated in the University of Abuja by his Ministry, said Federal Government’s intervention in the development of infrastructure in the nation’s tertiary institutions was aimed at boosting the quality of Education in the institutions.

The Minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Federal Controller of Works in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Engr. Usman Yakubu, said the intervention was giving students renewed hope and enthusiasm with regards to attending classes where Federal Government has restored motorability to the hitherto defective roads.

He disclosed that under the Tertiary Institutions Road Intervention Programme initiated by his Ministry, the Federal Government is currently working on 76 road projects in selected Federal tertiary institutions spread across the nation.

"We have successfully intervened in the internal road networks of 46 Federal Tertiary Institutions and handed over 29 of the roads as at 2021 and we now have another 17 ready to be handed over while we are currently attending to 30 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 76”, the Minister said.

According to him, "It is undebatable that the quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedbacks from the students of the schools where this type of intervention has taken place."

Fashola said the summary of all the feedbacks from students and Management staff of the University of Abuja, Gwagwalada, had demonstrated that the gap of the nation's infrastructure needs was steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs and construction on the major highways and schools.

The Minister described the construction of the internal roads by Federal Government in the nation’s tertiary institutions as a pointer to the administration’s progressive ideal of improving the human condition by supporting Education.

In his response, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdulrasheed Na’ Allah, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister for selecting the University of Abuja to benefit from the special Government’s intervention in infrastructure development saying the road used to be the worst in the institution especially during the Rainy Season.

“It is a very important road in the university, it used to be one of the worst roads we have in this campus especially during the Rainy Season and now it has become the best. We give thanks to Federal Ministry of Works and Housing”, the Vice Chancellor said.

According to him, “Tertiary institutions cannot achieve their greatness if infrastructure in the schools is not developed. With this internal road completed and handed over, Nigerians will be proud because it is a unity institution and belongs to all irrespective of your region. The internal road is very important and it will serve as a boost for sustainable social, academic and economic well-being of the students as well as the staff of the institute”, he said.

In his remarks, the institution’s Head of Works and Services, Engr. Joshua Musa, thanked the Ministry for the project saying that the road was a death trap before its rehabilitation. He said, “it is a big blessing to the entire students and management of the institute. We are grateful and very happy that the road has been fixed. Before now, we have recorded a lot of bike accidents on the road because of its bad nature”, he explained.

Reiterating Engr. Musa’s position, the Registrar of the School, Mallam Yaya Ibrahim, declared, “We are fortunate to be able to witness the handing over of this project and we thank President Muhammadu Buhari and the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing for making this to happen. It is a laudable project and will ease our movement within the school premises”.

SPEECHES

Sep

2021

REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SESSION AND PERMANENT SECRETARY, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WORKS AND HOUSING, ALHAJI BABANGIDA HUSSAINI

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the session, Babangida Hussaini welcomed Permanent Secretaries to the 27th Meeting of the National Council on Works. He thanked the Host, His Excellency Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, his executive team members and good people of Bauchi State for providing the enabling environment for the successful hosting of the event.

He also thanked the technical session for the meticulous work done on the memoranda presented for the consideration of the 27th meeting of the National Council meeting on Works.

He explained that the theme of this year’s National Council on Works “Infrastructure Delivery, the Maintenance Economy, and National Prosperity” is carefully chosen as a new concept to explore ways of providing massive infrastructure with the support of alternative sources of funding to complement Government efforts and reduce overdependence on Government for infrastructure delivery.

He added further that the focus of the Theme is on policy formulation and implementation, Institutional Strengthening, alternative sources of funding, enhancing professionalism in road infrastructure development, maintenance as an emerging economy in infrastructure economy, tolling and weigh bridges as a catalyst in road infrastructure development and sustainability, Local Content and Alternative technology in road infrastructure development and skill development and job creation for national prosperity.

He charged members to ensure that the outcome of the meeting, meets the standard and expectations of the Council so that the nation can harness the benefits of accelerated infrastructure development.