Federal Ministry of Works

Jan

2026

LATEST PRESS

UMAHI, NIGER GOVERNOR STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION TO FAST-TRACK FEDERAL ROAD PROJECTS

The Honourable Minister of Works, H.E. Sen. Engr. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, has reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to accelerate the delivery of ongoing Federal road and bridge projects in Niger State, following a high-level meeting with the Governor of Niger State, His Excellency, Farmer Umaru Mohammed Bago.

Speaking during the meeting held at the Ministry’s headquarters, Mabushi-Abuja today, 28 January, 2026, the Minister commended Governor Bago for his untiring efforts toward infrastructure development and urban renewal across Niger State. He noted, with appreciation, that many of the state government's interventions are on Federal road corridors that directly benefit the citizens.

Engr. Umahi acknowledged the numerous challenges associated with Federal roads in the State, stressing that road infrastructure development is a shared responsibility, irrespective of jurisdiction. He praised the significant interventions in areas such as Bida, Minna, and Suleja, describing them as impactful urban renewal efforts that have enhanced mobility and boosted economic activities.

The Minister assured the Governor of the Federal Government’s strong support, particularly on key projects including the Minna–Suleja Road (71km), which has received approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and is awaiting consideration by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

He disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has personally directed that the project be prioritised and assured that any advance intervention funds expended by the Niger State Government would be refunded.
On the Jebba and Lambata Bridges, the Minister informed his August visitor that integrity tests and work on the expansion joints are ongoing.

Engr. Umahi stressed the urgent need to curb indiscriminate parking, trading activities, and traffic congestion on bridges, which accelerate their structural deterioration. “Bridges are not designed to carry static loads but built for the dynamic flow of traffic,” he advised. He announced plans to engage key stakeholders, including transport unions and tanker drivers, to safeguard national assets and extend the lifespan of bridges.

The Minister further disclosed that all ongoing NNPC-funded road projects, nationwide, have now been approved for takeover by the Ministry, in line with Mr. President’s directive. Funding templates are currently being finalised to ensure the seamless continuation of works on such projects. He also directed officials of the Ministry to provide comprehensive status reports on all Federal road projects in the state to enable prompt interventions, where required.

Earlier, Governor Bago expressed appreciation to the Minister and his team for their responsiveness and collaborative approach. He highlighted the strategic importance of Niger State as Nigeria’s central corridor linking the North and South, with over 100,000 trucks traversing major routes in the State on a daily basis.

The Governor raised concerns about severe traffic congestion, infrastructure degradation, and security challenges along critical corridors, such as Jebba–Lambata–Minna–Suleja. He called for urgent attention to the structural integrity of the Jebba Bridge and other heavily trafficked bridges, emphasising the need for structural testing, traffic control measures, and accelerated rehabilitation works to avert potential disasters.

Governor Bago also commended the Federal Government for the ongoing concrete pavement works on the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway and urged that similar durable solutions be applied to other major highways in the country.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to sustained collaboration to fast-track federal road projects, enhance road safety, stimulate economic activities, and improve the quality of life for the people of Niger State and Nigerians at large.

Sep

2025

Umahi Inspects Sections One and Two of Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road Project The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, CON, FNSE, FNATE, has carried out an inspection of Sections One and Two of the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road project, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to delivering durable infrastructure to Nigerians. Speaking during the inspection today 20th September, 2025. He added that the quality of work so far is commendable. We thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support and commitment to this project. By God’s grace, we will ensure timely delivery for the benefit of Nigerians,” Senator Umahi stated. The Minister has reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, to delivering durable road infrastructure that will stand the test of time. We are constructing roads that will last for 100 years — roads designed with modern engineering standards, durability, and sustainability in mind. These projects are for the future of our children and the prosperity of our nation,” the Minister said. The Honourable Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Bello Goronyo Esq, state that the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road is one of Nigeria’s most strategic transport corridors, linking major cities, facilitating trade, and enhancing the movement of people and goods across the North and beyond. The Federal Ministry of Works reiterates its resolve to deliver a world-class, durable road that will stand the test of time. Accompanying the Minister, the Director of Highways, Construction and Rehabilitation, Engr. Clement Ogbuagu, acknowledged that while good progress has been made on Section One, some delays persist, particularly in Section Two where only about 3% completion has been achieved against a 40% target. He emphasized the need for contractors to deploy more equipment to meet delivery timelines. Engineer Representing Works on the construction of Abuja-Kaduna- Highway, Engr. Chukwuma Kalu disclosed that Section One, which covers 40.5km (dual carriage on concrete pavement), has recorded significant progress. Of the total stretch, 22km have been completed on both sides, with work actively ongoing on other portions. He further noted that the 17.3km Kano section and the 6.63km dual carriage airport access road have both achieved major milestones, with the airport road already completed and awaiting commissioning. Clement Ezeorah AD Press For: Director, Press and Public Relations 20th September, 2025 ...

Sep

2025

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WORKS ADOPTS FUNDING PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK ON NNPCL INHERITED TAX CREDIT PROJECTS NATIONWIDE. -PROMOTES NIGERIA FIRST POLICY, SAYS CONTRACTS BELOW ₦20 BILLION TO BE DONE BY INDIGENOUS CONTRACTORS. As part of strategic plans towards sustainability in project funding and execution and in pursuance of the directive of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR on strategic and systematic funding of inherited NNPCL funded projects, the Federal Ministry of Works has adopted funding prioritization framework to ensure the continued execution of road projects hitherto funded by Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme. The Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Engr. Nweze David Umahi, CON made this disclosure during his inspection visit to the ongoing dualization of the East-West Road (Section IIIA) from Eleme Junction, Port Harcourt to Onne Junction in Rivers State handled by Messrs RCC Nig Ltd dated 9th September 2025. Speaking during his visit, the Honourable Minister stated that the Federal Ministry of Works had compiled all the NNPCL inherited Tax Credit projects for strategic priority funding, noting that the most critical projects within the national economic corridor would receive precedence in the hierarchy of prioritization. “We are inspecting projects of federal government in Rivers State, and this particular one is the dualization of Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction by RCC. Recall that one carriageway was completed and commissioned, even though there are a few things we ordered afresh like the retaining wall and hanging drainage. For the second carriageway with some bridges and flyovers, work has started on it. Let me say that this is part of the NNPC Tax Credit that has been stopped in terms of funding by NNPC. But graciously, we have compiled all the NNPC inherited Tax Credit projects, and we presented as Ministry of Works to Mr. President. And Mr. President has graciously directed that none of such works should stop now. However, as Ministry, we are going to do prioritization of the projects and look at the most critical of these projects within the national economic corridor like this one. And we are going to put it forward for immediate funding because the President directed that none of such projects should stop now.” He admonished contractors handling road projects under the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure speed, quality, compliance with specification and sustainability in project delivery and cautioned that the attention of the anti-graft agencies would be called to any case of violation of the regulations or terms and conditions set out under the contract of every project handled by the Federal Ministry of Works. He stated, “I have also noticed in some of the projects in Rivers State, and same with the Six Geo-Political zones, that contractors go ahead to put stone base and put binder course of asphalt, sometimes over 20 kilometres and leave the binder unprotected without putting wearing course. The binder is like a reinforcement to the road architecture. The wearing is the sealant that doesn't allow water to go beyond the surface. And so when you now put stone base, which has dust as designed, and you put binder, which is like a reinforcement, and you see that the composition of the binder asphalt has bigger stones, and it has holes, so the water penetrates. The moment it gets to the stone base, which has some dust, the road fails. It may technically look safe, but with time, it will definitely fail. And we've seen it in a number of roads we inspected. And what I've directed the Controller to do, and it's going to be nationwide, is that when you are putting binder and you have left it for more than two months, we are going to redo the certificate and remove all the binder and remove the stone base.” He directed that henceforth any project below the contract sum of ₦20 Billion would not be given to expatriate firms, and this he said is part of measures to promote the Nigeria First policy of Federal Government of Nigeria. He commended the construction company handling the Eleme - Onne project, Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) for the quality of work so far done and for working on the project despite the fact that NNPCL has stopped funding the project, but frowned at the slow pace of work which they said was affected by the rainy season. He restated that 15th December 2025 remains the agreed deadline for the project’s completion with no extension or Variation of Price (VoP) allowed. “On this project of Eleme Junction, the quality of the work is excellent. The pace of the work is totally not acceptable. And let me make it very, very clear to the contractor that this project can never be reviewed by a kobo. Neither can there be any variation of price or any other claims.” He expressed dismay over the destructive habit of packing heavy duty vehicles on the road by drivers and warned that forthwith punitive measures would be taken against such perpetrators. “Our roads are not designed to carry these heavy trailers that are parking on the road. And the press should help us on that. When I was coming yesterday all the way from Aba to here, I saw that the trailers are taking over the entire roads, putting their waste, destroying the pavements, and so on and so forth. So I'm going to write to our dear Governors to see what they could help us to do about it, and will also complain to the Inspector General of Police. Let us see what we can do about it. Mr. President is doing everything possible to right the wrongs in terms of road construction. We are doing quality roads now that are going to last from 50 to 100 years. But it's being destroyed by ourselves.” Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in River State, Engr. Enwereama Tarilade (Mrs.) said the contractor handling Eleme- Onne road had completed the 15km Eket bound on the right carriageway and had moved to the left carriageway which is Port Harcourt bound for which 1km stretch had already been done on Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP). Projects visited by the Honourable Minister include, the rehabilitation of Enugu – Port Harcourt, Abia/Rivers State, contract No: 6252 being handled by China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited (CCECC), the upgrading of the 15km section of the East-West Road (Section 111A) from Port Harcourt (Eleme Junction) to Onne junction in Rivers State, contract No: 701 being handled by Messrs. RCC Nig. Ltd and multiple sections of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, including the sections handled by Arab Contractors and China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited (CCECC). Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji Special Adviser (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Works Works ...

Sep

2025

NIGERIA MOVES TO UNLOCK TRANSFORMATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND GROWTH WITH GLOBAL PARTNERS The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to deliver transformative development projects across priority sectors, particularly infrastructure. This came during a high-level meeting with the Vice President of the Bank, relevant stakeholders, held in Abuja and hosted by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun at the Ministry’s conference room, today, 1st september, 2025. In his remarks, The Honourable Minister of Finance, Wale Edun welcomed the IsDB delegation, describing the Bank as a steadfast ally in Nigeria’s development journey since 2005.“Your visit marks a significant moment in our shared journey of partnership, progress, and purpose. Despite fiscal constraints, Nigeria has continued to honor its obligations, and we deeply value the Bank’s flexibility in aligning with our realities,” he said. The Minister noted the success of IsDB interventions across education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, and innovation, stressing that these projects are “lifelines for communities, engines of growth, and symbols of hope.” He underscored the alignment between Nigeria’s bold economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the IsDB’s 2026–2035 Strategic Framework. The Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, CON, FNSE, who was represented by the Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Bello Goronyo, Esq, emphasized the administration’s prioritization of road infrastructure under the Renewed Hope Agenda. He highlighted the Ilela–Lagos–Sokoto–Badagry economic corridor, describing it as a strategic lifeline that connects Nigeria to the Niger Republic and other African countries: “This corridor is a vital economic artery that will boost trade, create jobs, and lift communities out of poverty. President Tinubu’s commitment to this project reflects his determination to drive Nigeria’s economic transformation,” he stated. The Honourable Minister of State also confirmed that construction works have commenced on the Sokoto and Kebbi sections, with Hitech Construction achieving clearance and 25 kilometers of work on the Kebbi axis. Other projects cited included the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Calabar–Nasarawa–FCT corridor, and the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, all of which require additional financing to accelerate delivery. Responding to issues raised in terms of road infrastructure, the Operations Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Rami M. S. Ahmad, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to Nigeria’s infrastructure agenda. He stated that Infrastructure is a core pillar of our strategy, and we work from each country’s own priorities. For the road projects raised today, we will not allow delays to persist; where they can be re-scoped, we will act; where not, we will close them and move forward with new initiatives. The Ilela–Lagos–Sokoto–Badagry corridor and other key projects align with our mandate, and through the Country Engagement Framework, we are ready to accelerate their delivery,” he assured. In closing, the Honourable Minister of Finance expressed his profound gratitude to the IsDB team for their assurances and reiterated that Nigeria’s ownership and alignment of priorities under the Country’s Engagement Framework. He said, “It is our bank, our sovereignty, our projects, our priorities. Today, my colleagues from Education, Environment, Transportation, Works, Water Resources and Sanitation, and my team from the Ministry of Finance, have given a comprehensive insight into our key priorities and legacy projects. The time has come to move beyond frameworks and concept notes to implementation, beginning with the signing of the Abia State Integrated Infrastructure Development Project,” he affirmed. The Honourable Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, in her closing remarks, expressed her appreciation for the depth of engagement achieved during the meeting . “This dialogue has enhanced the strength of our partnership and the vast potential that lies ahead. From infrastructure and human capital to Islamic finance and the Nigerian economy, the opportunities for collaboration are both strategic and urgent. As custodians of Nigeria’s public finance, we are committed to deploying every naira transparently, efficiently, and in line with our national priorities,” she stated. Clement Ezeora For: Director Press and Public Relations. 2nd September, 2025. ...

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PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Nov

2025

OTHER NEWS

Nov

2023

A Big Thank You to Brekete Family for the Words of Encouragement and Constructive Criticism to the Renewed Hope Administration of the Innovative President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR

The truth is that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR means well for Nigeria. He is on a Divine mission to reinvent a nation of the dream of the founding fathers, where all Nigerians will be proud to be associated with.

The new innovations on road infrastructure introduced by the Federal Ministry of Works under Sen. Engr Nweze David Umahi, CON is among the numerous innovations initiated by Mr President to change the ugly narrative of our developmental history. This was what Mr President did when he presided over Lagos as the 1st democratically elected Governor of Lagos State in the history of the 4th Republic. He made Lagos to be truly Africa’s Centre of Excellence. He broadened the economic prospects of Lagos State and since then Lagos has continued to prosper and to dominate as the largest commercial hub in Africa. Now Mr President is presiding over the most populous country in Africa, you all will see a positive change that will beat the estimation of leaders of African continent. He has the will, the experience, the exposure and the ingenuity to achieve excellence in Nigeria's social- economic history.

The cream of resolute Hon. Ministers and the innovative policies of the Federal Government under our dear President, especially the idea of looking inwards and thinking out of the box will do a lot in mitigating the forex challenges, reduce capital flight, discourage corruption, create jobs and wealth for the teeming population, enhance export potentials, boost industrialization, reduce insecurity, increase our Gross Domestic Product, promote local content and prosper our nation.

This is the aspiration of Mr President. Concrete road initiative which was the original brainchild of our dear President when he presided over Lagos State will do a lot to change our narrative as we can be sure the new road policy is more enduring than the old system of asphalting which often fail and cause monumental pains to road users.

This is why the office of the Chief Press Secretary to the Hon. Minister of Works finds it progressively expedient to say a big thank you to the Brekete Family for supporting the road infrastructure initiative of our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

SPEECHES

Jan

2023

Religious And Tribal Tolerance: Panacea to Peaceful Co-Existence in Nigeria - The Rev. Euba Example, Being the Text of The First Reverend William Benjamin Euba Memorial Lecture 110th Founders Day Celebration

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to thank you all for the honour of inviting me to speak at this year's Founders Day celebration of the Eko Boys High School and in particular for inaugurating this Memorial lecture in honour of the visionary Reverend William Benjamin Euba now of very blessed memory, who founded this school.

I know that in 1955 when the Premier of the Western Region inaugurated the free primary education program across the western region, the prevailing condition was one of mass illiteracy.

While many of our people are now literate in numeracy and letters, and they can now operate a telephone, this literacy that we have come to take for granted, was unthinkable on any scale in the western region in 1955. Large numbers of people simply could not put meaning to numbers and letters talk less of reading or writing.

One of the permanent businesses of that time, was that of a professional letter writer. Yes, in case you did not know or you have forgotten that was a business that once thrived in Nigeria and which happily by the vision and execution of Awolowo, is now history, because the monopoly of knowledge by a few has been democratised by the leadership provided by one man and his team.

But my intervention is not about Obafemi Awolowo but rather about William Euba.

But it is important to put matters in context by emphasising how difficult things were in 1955 when Awolowo intervened, which is just 68 years ago.

You can therefore imagine perhaps how much more difficult the Euba era was, back in January 1913 when he opened the doors of Eko Boys High School to the public to get Educated.

That was 110 years ago today and approximately 42 years before free education started; and interestingly, both events occurred in January.

On a lighter note, and for those who have recently been involved in the debate over who is the greatest of all time between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, I do not intend such a debate between Euba and Awolowo.

Rather, I seek to celebrate the farsightedness of their vision about the importance of education and knowledge to nation building, peaceful coexistence and information management for rational choices.

This school, founded by Reverend Euba, and the many more that have come after it have in my view been the glue that has bound our people together in more ways than we have either acknowledged or appreciated.

This is the background to my discussion of the topic of this lecture: Religious and Tribal Tolerance: Panacea to Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria - The Reverend Euba Example.

The example of Rev. Euba remains iconic because he set up a school that opened its doors to people from all walks of life, in our diverse country.

The importance of this educational tolerance to peaceful coexistence is easy to miss, if we do not understand how strong identities are, and how even more strongly people cling to their tribal, ethnic, and religious identities.

For those who want to delve into the matter of identity more deeply, I recommend, “IDENTITY: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment” by Francis Fukuyama.

But for the purpose of today, it is simply important to stress how strongly those identities magnify our suspicions about one another, inflame myths about others in our minds and expand fault lines that overshadows the common bonds of humanity that we all share.

It is the very early work and initiative of men like Reverend Euba and other missionaries of the time to open access to formal education for African and Nigerian children on a non-discriminatory basis that has helped in no small way to bridge those gaps that are being widened by manipulation of our ethnic and religious diversity.

As I have had cause to argue on occasion, if our creator has demonstrated the capacity to create diversity, certainly nothing could have prevented him from making us all the same other than his infinite wisdom that our diversity would better enrich us and make our planet a more exciting place.

Regrettably this is what a few people (and I insist that they are few) choose to weaponize and deny us of the richness and excitement that the creator intended for us.

Clearly, Reverend Euba saw through their chicanery many years before it matured. He chose education as his weapon to put those few people in their place.

A place of irrelevance and ignominy, supplanted by the training of a large army of young people who have the understanding of both religions, who accept the minor differences between them and who decide to embrace the fundamentals of a common good and a common humanity.

Those young people, by virtue of the opportunity they got to attend the same school, sit in the same classrooms, eat together and participate in sporting activities together have learned that we are not different from one another even if we speak different languages.

Afterall, as Bishop Desmond Tutu of blessed memory argues in his book "God is not a Christian," that the languages we speak and the faith we profess are not divine; on the contrary they are products of where we were born and to whom we were born.

Those accidental circumstances should not define our essence. They should not be points of discord or discontent. Rather they should serve as sources of strength and richness which in fact they are.

It is to the eternal credit of Reverend William Benjamin Euba and others like him that they saw these sources of strength and richness and exposed young men and women to them through education.

This has turned a generation of young men and women into a large army of adults who have overcome religious and ethnic differences to contribute to national good and development.

Permit me to illustrate this phenomenon, by telling you a story that is only one example of many uncountable stories, which keeps the very few peddlers of division in check in our country.

On the 16th day of December 2022, I was invited to the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Grammar School premises to open an e-learning centre at the school premises in Bariga area of Lagos.

The centre had 300 computers, high speed broadband internet, fully equipped IT lab, for students and many other facilities for librarians and teachers. It was not built by the Anglican mission nor was it built by a Christian.

It was built by a Muslim, Senator Olugbenga Bareehu Ashafa, a two-term senator and now the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority.

It was built in part because he was an old boy of that school. The Anglican mission did not shut him out about 50 years ago when he sought admission there, on the grounds that he was a Muslim.

On the contrary, they opened their doors to him, and interestingly while still a student, the school gave him a special permission to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as his parents wished and he returned to complete his education.

As I said, at the occasion, what is a Bareehu doing amongst Anglicans? Only the farsighted vision of missionaries and men like Reverend Euba could have found a place of comfort for a Bareehu amongst Anglicans, and for me a Raji in Eko Boys High School. Yes, I passed through this school for one year.

Ladies and gentlemen, Reverend Euba’s place in Nigeria’s quest for peaceful coexistence is legendary. We cannot thank him enough. May his kind, generous and visionary soul continue to rest in peace and may his example continue to inspire our nation.