UMAHI ANNOUNCES RECOVERY OF BENIN-ASABA ROAD BACK TO MINISTRY OF WORKS, SAYS TINUBU ORDERS FULL RECONSTRUCTION AS FG REOPENS FIRST NIGER BRIDGE

 

 

By Pan Afric Reporters

 

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has announced that the Federal Government has recovered the 136-kilometre Benin–Asaba Road from its concession arrangement, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directing its comprehensive redesign and full reconstruction as a dual carriageway.

 

Umahi disclosed this on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during the reopening of the First Niger Bridge on the Asaba–Onitsha Road. The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Friday by Francis Nwaze, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Works on Media.

 

The minister said the return of the Benin–Asaba Road to the ministry would enable the Federal Government to take direct responsibility for its reconstruction, following years of complaints about the highway’s condition and the difficulties faced by motorists travelling between the South-South and South-East.

 

“What stopped the Ministry of Works from reconstructing Benin-Asaba Road, the concessioning of that route, has been unsealed. We now have our route back to the Ministry of Works,” Umahi declared.

 

He explained that the road’s redesign was ongoing and that construction would commence after the process was completed. He also assured motorists that remedial interventions were already underway on critical sections, ahead of permanent reinforced concrete pavement works.

 

“The legacy of President Bola Tinubu, you will see it ongoing on this road. Never again will our people suffer on this road,” the minister said.

 

FG Strengthens First Niger Bridge Safety

At the reopening of the First Niger Bridge, Umahi said the Federal Government had undertaken rehabilitation and safety improvements to protect the strategic transport link connecting communities and businesses across the South-East and South-South.

 

He disclosed that the intervention followed an alert by a content creator about activities threatening the bridge’s structural integrity. A subsequent inspection reportedly revealed that some individuals were removing bolts and cutting iron components from its steel structure.

 

Describing the activities as dangerous, Umahi warned that tampering with the bridge could undermine its stability and potentially lead to a collapse.

 

The minister recalled that the bridge was commissioned in 1966 by Nigeria’s then Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, but had suffered from inadequate maintenance over the years.

 

According to him, rehabilitation works included asphalt resurfacing and median demarcation, alongside plans for CCTV surveillance, solar-powered lighting and observation centres at both ends of the bridge. Three turnaround passages have also been created to help motorists manoeuvre safely when vehicles break down.

 

“Exactly the treatment we gave to the Third Mainland Bridge is the treatment we gave to this place,” Umahi said.

 

However, he clarified that the rehabilitation was not yet 100 per cent complete, listing outstanding tasks that include repainting the steel structure, completing rust-related maintenance beneath the bridge deck, installing CCTV cameras above and below the structure, and providing canopies at both ends.

 

Umahi also warned against illegal sand dredging within a 10-kilometre radius of bridges, directing federal works officials in Delta and Anambra states to report violations and any failure by security agencies to enforce the regulations.

 

Tinubu Orders Reconstruction of East-West Road

Beyond the Benin–Asaba corridor, the minister disclosed that Tinubu had directed the reconstruction of approximately 400 kilometres of the East-West Road across the Niger Delta, describing the project as part of the administration’s wider infrastructure programme.

 

He said the project would complement the 750-kilometre Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, dismissing suggestions that construction on the coastal road had stopped.

 

According to Umahi, work remains ongoing, while the remaining sections in Bayelsa and Cross River states are expected to be taken up in the coming weeks. He added that designs for the first and second sections of the East-West Road were nearing completion, with construction expected to begin soon.

 

“The coastal road is the right of the Niger Delta people. And the President will complete that 750-kilometre road. And they will also complete the SPP, which is the full reconstruction of 400 kilometres of East-West Road,” he said.

 

The minister also reported that reconstruction of the Enugu–Port Harcourt corridor had reached approximately 90 per cent completion, while a 44-kilometre section in Port Harcourt was being reconstructed with reinforced concrete pavement.

 

In Anambra State, he said a 107-kilometre dual carriageway project had recorded progress, with 33 kilometres completed. Work on a further 40-kilometre section from the First Niger Bridge axis was expected to begin within two weeks.

 

He further highlighted the ongoing construction of Section 2B of the Second Niger Bridge bypass, a 17.5-kilometre project valued at ₦172 billion.

 

“These are projects that show the President’s commitment to the South-East. We cannot thank the President enough,” Umahi said.

 

Umahi Defends Concrete Roads, Economic Reforms

The minister defended the administration’s use of reinforced concrete pavement on selected highways, arguing that the technology would deliver more durable roads capable of serving Nigerians for decades.

 

He also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, acknowledging the difficulties associated with policy changes but maintaining that the measures were necessary to prevent a deeper economic crisis and establish the basis for recovery.

 

“When you have a wound and you have to stitch the wound, there will be pains at the initial time, but that pain is the beginning of healing,” he said.

 

“The worse is over. We are now into prosperity. We are into prosperity.”

 

Umahi urged critics to offer practical alternatives to the government’s policies rather than resort to insults and hate speech. He maintained that Nigerians should assess the reforms through economic indicators and whether their benefits were translating into improved living conditions for households and small businesses.

 

“The President saved this country from catastrophic economy,” he declared.

 

Minister Makes Political Appeal Ahead of 2027

Umahi also linked infrastructure development to political participation ahead of the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the South-East should assess the Federal Government on its projects, investments and commitment to national inclusion rather than regional sentiments.

 

Rejecting suggestions that support for Tinubu amounted to a betrayal of the South-East, he questioned why political leaders seeking national office should expect the region to support only one candidate.

 

He urged political leaders, traditional institutions and other influential voices to educate young people about democracy, development and the importance of electoral participation in negotiating further infrastructure investment for the region.

 

“Let me tell the people of the South-East, it is what you vote in January 2027 that is our right to brag. That is our right to negotiate. Let us not be very funny. Let us not be very sentimental. Let us stop the hate speeches and embrace the new wave of hope,” Umahi said.

 

He added: “Democracy is about development. It is about infrastructure. It is about inclusiveness. The President has done that.”

 

The minister concluded by describing Tinubu as a leader whose infrastructure programme, in his assessment, demonstrated a commitment to national development beyond ethnic and regional boundaries.

 

“The evidence of what we are doing today is a total testimony that President Bola Tinubu is a detribalised Nigerian,” he said.