Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said investors are already expressing interest in refunding and tolling sections of President Bola Tinubu’s legacy highway projects, as the Federal Government signed agreements for eight major road projects across the country.

The projects, signed between Wednesday and Thursday at the Federal Ministry of Works headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja, include four flagship legacy highways and four additional strategic road contracts spread across several states.

The legacy projects include Section II of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Superhighway covering Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states; Section IV of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway in Oyo State; Section V of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Akwa Ibom State; and Section II of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road from Gombe to Biu.

Other projects signed include the reconstruction of the Mando–Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna State, dualisation of the Ibadan–Ijebu Ode Road across Oyo and Ogun states, and the construction of the Osogbo–Ikirun–Akoda and Osogbo–Iwo–Ibadan roads in Osun and Oyo states.

Speaking during the signing ceremony according to his Media aide, Francis Nwaze, in a statement on Friday, Umahi described the projects as part of the growing infrastructure legacy of the Tinubu administration.

“Today is another event that adds to the great work that President Bola Tinubu is doing,” he said.

The Minister disclosed that the Federal Government had already procured the first 123 kilometres single carriageway of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Abuja Superhighway from Calabar through Ebonyi State to the Benue border, while the newly signed section covers another 173 kilometres through Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states to the Oweto Bridge.

According to him, the project will significantly reduce travel time between the South-East and Abuja and boost economic activities across the corridor.

“With this project, any part of the South-East you are, you will be in Abuja in three to four hours. And this is a plus to our commercial activities,” Umahi stated.

He also used the occasion to commend President Tinubu for what he described as unprecedented federal infrastructure attention to the South-East.

“I was a governor, I was a deputy governor and we never witnessed federal government projects in South-East but today, we may not be the first, or the second or the third but definitely, we are not the last,” he said.

Umahi further declared: “I want to say this without any apology, the South-East people will reciprocate what the President has done for the people. What happened in 2023 was an accident of history and in 2027, we will show our appreciation.”

On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the minister said the project had evolved from widespread skepticism to national admiration.

“When we started the Coastal Highway, 750km, people did not believe that it would be a reality. And some that knew that it would be a reality, out of envy and jealousy, started to criticize the project,” he said.

“But today, the entire country is waving their flags for President Bola Tinubu because that project is a beauty to behold. It is an economic catalyst for the nation, Nigeria.”

He revealed that by November, motorists would be able to drive from Ahmadu Bello Way in Lagos through completed portions of Sections One, Two and part of Section Four into Ondo State.

Umahi said construction was ongoing on Sections 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, while Section Five covering 165.6 kilometres had also commenced.

Describing the coastal highway as a long-term national investment, he said the roads were being designed with durable concrete technology expected to last for decades.

“This is not just a road project. I have always said that this is an investment that the President is doing, and this is a road that is going to last for another hundred years with no maintenance,” he said.

The minister explained that the projects include extensive drainage systems, reinforced pavements, culverts and concrete structures, adding that the average construction cost stood at about N7.5 billion per kilometre.

He also disclosed that investors were already seeking opportunities to recover project costs through tolling arrangements.

“Just like in Section One that we finished in Lagos, a lot of investors are begging to be given that section for them to toll and then give back our money even before they start tolling,” Umahi revealed.

“So it is an investment, and it is only a person like President Bola Tinubu that can do this.”

On the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Umahi said the Oyo axis alone covers about 360 kilometres, stressing that the administration’s legacy projects were deliberately spread across the six geopolitical zones.

“The President is President for the entire country. His four legacy projects are dotted throughout the six geopolitical zones,” he said.

He also highlighted progress on the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Road project, saying Tinubu insisted on replacing the initial asphalt design with concrete pavement to ensure durability.

“The President said, ‘No, we want to do concrete road so that when we build it, it will last for a hundred years,’” Umahi added.

According to him, the Federal Government will provide 30 per cent counterpart funding for the projects, while 70 per cent will come through loans, with tolling and strategic land acquisition expected to support long-term returns on investment.

Responding on behalf of the contractors, the Chief Executive Officer of HITEC Construction Company, Dany Abboud, assured the Federal Government of quality delivery within schedule.

“Our commitment is always on the table. We are committed to delivering those jobs before the thirty-six months that were awarded,” Abboud said.

“We commit to delivering a standard even better than what we have done on Coastal Highway Section One.” The Nation)