The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has said that the total value of projects being executed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, including inherited and ongoing legacy projects, stands at about N34 trillion.
Umahi stated this during an inspection of projects along the Abakaliki–Afikpo highway in Ebonyi State, where he defended the administration’s borrowing strategy, saying it was necessary for infrastructure development.
According to him, the government borrows to fund critical road and bridge projects that will serve Nigerians for decades.
“We are borrowing because of things we do on our roads and bridges,” he said.
He explained that investments in infrastructure were designed to provide long-term value, adding that some of the roads being constructed would last for up to 100 years.
“So when people ask why we’re borrowing, tell them this story, that we have to borrow to build infrastructure,” he said.
“And you can see that what we are doing on the road is like building a bridge. So for the next 100 years, we will not have to think about doing anything on such projects that the president is doing,” he added.
At the Abaomege axis of the project, Umahi said the ongoing works form part of the administration’s legacy infrastructure drive.
He said the project, linked to the Calabar–Lagos Coastal Highway corridor, is designed as a major economic route stretching across multiple states.
According to him, the 123-kilometre stretch is being constructed with reinforced concrete pavement, solar lighting and upgraded dual carriageway sections, with an estimated cost of about N454 billion.
He also said the President had already released 50 percent of funding for the project.
Umahi further explained that additional sections of the wider road network include a 465-kilometre corridor connecting Calabar through Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa to Apo in Abuja.
He said section two of the project spans 178 kilometres, running through Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa States to Oweto Bridge, with a cost of about N685 billion for a single carriageway.
He added that the government was also procuring a second carriageway covering about 295 kilometres to expand the corridor into a dual carriageway system.
The minister said the contractor handling parts of the project is Infouest.
Umahi also commended the President’s infrastructure drive, stating that it would significantly improve commerce, education and national development.
He urged the people of the South-East to support the administration, arguing that strategic engagement, not sentiment, should guide political decisions.
“This election is not lottery, and the presidency is not given by sentiments. It’s given by strategic planning,” he said.
He added that President Tinubu had made substantial progress in addressing infrastructural challenges, and called for continued support across the region.
