By Victor Nwegede
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has said the Federal Government's massive investment in road infrastructure under President Bola Tinubu is creating employment opportunities, stimulating economic activities and addressing the challenge of hunger across the country.
Umahi stated this on Friday while inspecting the ongoing Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway project at Onueke in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The minister said the President's infrastructure agenda was generating jobs for thousands of Nigerians through direct construction activities and businesses along project corridors, stressing that the economic impact extended beyond road construction.
"When people talk about hunger in this country, they should understand that the activities being created by the infrastructural development of the President are a catalyst for addressing that challenge," Umahi said.
"You can see the number of people working on the reinforcement section alone. You go to the project yards and see the number of workers employed.
"Along this corridor, people are selling food, supplying chippings, supplying sand and rendering different services."
He added that the introduction of reinforced concrete pavement on major federal highways was boosting local industries by increasing demand for locally produced construction materials.
"The introduction of reinforced concrete pavement is not only about durability; it is also important for our economic revolution because virtually nothing is imported. Cement manufacturers are increasing production, making more profits and employing more Nigerians," he said.
Umahi urged Nigerians to exercise patience with the Tinubu administration, noting that decades of infrastructure deficits could not be corrected within a few years.
"The President is making very serious efforts. Everything cannot be corrected in three years. People should acknowledge the giant strides he is making in different sectors of the economy," he said.
He appealed to media organisations to give greater visibility to ongoing Federal Government projects, particularly in the South-East.
"I am not asking you to report what we are not doing. Report what we are doing because the people of the South-East need to know what the President is doing in the region," he said.
The minister further described the Calabar–Abuja Superhighway as a transformative project that would enhance regional integration, reduce travel time and stimulate economic development across communities along its route.
Earlier, the Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ebonyi State, Engineer Maxwell Oko, said the section of the highway being handled by MSS Infiouest International Limited was awarded at a cost of ₦454 billion.
According to him, construction has attained 39.12 per cent completion, with work progressing steadily on both carriageways.
"We are standing at kilometre 34.972 of the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway. The project has reached 39.12 per cent completion," Oko said.
Also speaking, the Project Manager of the Trans-Sahara Highway, Engineer Mohamed Mostapha, said work was progressing simultaneously on both sections of the road, with earthworks, stabilisation and reinforcement continuing in line with the project's execution schedule.
"As the Federal Controller has stated, we have completed about 39 per cent of the project. Earthworks, stabilisation and reinforcement are ongoing across the alignment," he said.
In her remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (South-East), Barrister Chioma Nweze, commended President Bola Tinubu for ongoing infrastructure development in the region, saying the projects were opening up rural communities, improving access to healthcare and expanding economic opportunities.
"I want to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for what he is doing in the South-East. These roads are opening communities, improving access to hospitals and bringing the dividends of democracy closer to our people," Nweze said.
She also urged students from the region to take advantage of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), noting that the initiative had made tertiary education more accessible to young Nigerians.
