President also clears Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction, new Taraba bridges and additional East-West Road dualisation under renewed infrastructure drive

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja approved a sweeping expansion of Nigeria’s flagship road infrastructure programme, extending the Fourth Legacy Highway by 400 kilometres to about 1,100 kilometres while authorising the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the completion of two major bridges in Taraba State and the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road.

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The approvals, announced by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, mark one of the most extensive packages of federal highway projects unveiled since the administration launched its Renewed Hope Agenda, with the government positioning the investments as critical to improving national connectivity, stimulating commerce and reducing travel time across strategic transport corridors.

Speaking during a media briefing, Umahi described the latest decisions as another transformative milestone in the government’s infrastructure renewal programme.

“The greatest story is that yesterday, President Bola Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy Road. That is unprecedented,” Umahi said.

Originally conceived as a dual carriageway linking Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Maiduguri in Borno State through Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu, the Fourth Legacy Highway will now extend into Taraba State, creating a broader transport corridor between parts of the North Central and North East.

Umahi said the additional stretch would pass through several historic communities and prominent towns before terminating in Taraba.

“That project will pass through the place of General Gowon. It will pass through the place of Solomon Lar. It will pass through the place of the present National Chairman of the APC. It goes down to Taraba, and that is unprecedented,” the minister said.

Beyond the highway extension, President Tinubu also approved the complete reconstruction of the 135-kilometre Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using reinforced concrete pavement after sections of the rehabilitated road began showing signs of deterioration less than five years after major rehabilitation works.

According to Umahi, the decision validates the ministry’s long-standing advocacy for concrete pavements on high-volume highways.

“The President approved yesterday the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Road, and that is the justification for our fight for the use of reinforced concrete pavement,” he said.

The minister noted that previous repairs had failed to resolve recurring defects on the expressway.

“It is 135 kilometres by two carriageways. That project is not up to five years old, yet it has already started failing. We took journalists there. We took members of the National Assembly there. You could see the road failing. They repaired it, and it still failed.”

Umahi argued that reinforced concrete would provide a more durable solution capable of lasting between 50 and 100 years with minimal maintenance.

The President also approved the completion of the long-abandoned Ibi Bridge project in Taraba State, which was awarded in 2018 but stalled after reaching approximately 40 per cent completion.

“That bridge was awarded in 2018, got to about 40 per cent completion and was abandoned. Yesterday, the President approved the review and completion of the Ibi Bridge in Taraba State,” Umahi said.

In addition, Tinubu authorised the design, procurement and construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge across the Benue River, another major infrastructure project expected to improve access within Taraba State.

The Federal Government also received approval to dualise another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road corridor stretching from Lokoja to Benin, a project Umahi said would improve safety, facilitate trade and ease movement along one of the country’s busiest transport routes.

Another notable announcement from the briefing was the renaming of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which will now be officially known as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway.

Umahi said the Ministry of Works took the decision in recognition of Tinubu’s long-standing vision for the landmark project, tracing its origins to the President’s tenure as Governor of Lagos State more than two decades ago.

“He had that dream about 27 years back as Governor of Lagos State. It is one thing to dream and another thing to have the grace of God to actualise that dream. This is one man who dreams and has the grace and divine mandate to actualise that dream,” the minister said.

Providing an update on the 750-kilometre coastal highway, Umahi said construction was progressing simultaneously across multiple sections.

The first 47.47-kilometre section from Victoria Island to Eleko Village features dual carriageways separated by a 25-metre median reserved for a future railway line.

“That project is a beauty to behold,” he said.

According to the minister, the second section between Eleko Village and the Lagos-Ogun boundary has reached about 60 per cent completion and is expected to be substantially completed by November 2026, with only some complex bridge works likely to remain.

He explained that the corridor around the Dangote Refinery required specially engineered structures capable of supporting heavy industrial traffic, including bridges with spans of 80 metres instead of the conventional 15 metres.

Umahi added that work was also advancing on sections in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ogun and Ondo states.

The 75-kilometre Section Three from Calabar is about 30 per cent complete, while the 82-kilometre Section Four through Ogun and Ondo has reached roughly 20 per cent completion. Construction is also progressing on the 180-kilometre Section Five in Akwa Ibom despite pending mobilisation funding.

The minister also reported steady progress on the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, describing it as the fulfilment of a vision conceived during the Shehu Shagari administration more than five decades ago.

“The dream of our founding fathers during the Shagari administration over 50 years ago is being actualised. Presidents came and went but nobody attempted it. Today, work is ongoing from Ilela to Sokoto, from Kebbi and also from the Badagry end,” he said.

Umahi further highlighted ongoing work on the Trans-Sahara Highway, which traverses Ebonyi, Benue, Enugu and Kogi states, saying the corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time between the South-East and the Federal Capital Territory.

The latest approvals build on the Federal Government’s broader Legacy Projects programme, comprising four flagship highway corridors: the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Trans-Sahara Highway and the Akwanga-Maiduguri Highway.

Since assuming office in May 2023, the Tinubu administration has placed large-scale road construction at the centre of its economic agenda, with the Ministry of Works increasingly replacing conventional asphalt with reinforced concrete pavement on strategic highways.

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The government argues that although the construction method carries higher initial costs, it offers greater durability, lower long-term maintenance expenses and improved value for public investment.