FG fl ags-off 222km Abuja-Makurdi road

…Constructs largest concrete road in W’Africa The Federal Government has begun massive work on road infrastructure across the country with the flag-off and reconstruction of major highways. The two recent road project flagged off are the Abuja to Makurdi road which stretches for about 222km and the Apapa to Ojota road in Lagos State. The Abuja to Makurdi road project, which […]

…Constructs largest concrete road in W’Africa

The Federal Government has begun massive work on road infrastructure across the country with the flag-off and reconstruction of major highways. The two recent road project flagged off are the Abuja to Makurdi road which stretches for about 222km and the Apapa to Ojota road in Lagos State.

The Abuja to Makurdi road project, which passes through the major towns of Keffi, Akwanga and Lafiya (state capital), all in Nasarawa State, was awarded to Messrs China Habour Engineering Company Limited by the Federal Government at  the cost of $542m with a contract  period of 36 months.  Speaking during the-flag off on  the Keffi-Akwanga axis of the road  in Nasarawa State, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, said the  Federal Government was keen  on connecting people through  roads to open more avenues for employment opportunities.

Fashola said the dualisation of  the road was a major project that  would connect people from the  Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  with the people of Nasarawa and Benue states, adding that employment and businesses would also be enhanced.

The FCT Minister, Mallam   Muhammad Musa Bello, who  was represented at the flag-off  by the Executive Secretary of the  Federal Capital Development Administration (FCDA), Engr. Umar Gambo Jibril, said the project was very dear to the  FCT Administration (FCTA)  as it was in harmony with the  administration’s strategy of  completing the three major roads leading to the capital city, Abuja. Mallam Bello said the
completion would provide relief to workers and the people who  ply the road daily.

The minister added that the  dualisation would ease traffic, reduce travel time and eliminate  stress associated with gridlock. While expressing gratitude  to the Federal Government, the  Nasarawa State  Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, said the project would open up the affected states.

Similarly, the Apapa-Oshodi-  Oworonshoki-Ojota road in  Lagos State is to get a facelift 40 years after it was constructed. The Federal Government  recently flagged-off the total  reconstruction of the expressway, using concrete, awarded to  Dangote Construction Company.  The expressway is the major  route to the country’s busiest  seaport, Tin Can Island, Apapa, and the Murtala Mohammed
International Airport, Ikeja.

The expressway which was constructed in 1978 has been  characterised by potholes and  cracks that cause gridlock and  pose security risk.  The Minister of Works, Power  and Housing, Babatunde Fashola,
pointed out that the expressway had not witnessed any major reconstruction despite several  years of oil boom.

Fashola disclosed that the port  at Apapa could no longer cope  with business activities around  the area which necessitated the  speedy construction of new ports.  He said, “Apapa Port which was built for about 30 million metric tonnes per annum, but  now managing a cargo of over 80  million tonnes per annum, calls  for the construction of new ports.  But while work is ongoing on the Lekki and Badagry ports, we
have to recover the Apapa Road  by reconstructing it through the  Oworonshoki-Ojota Expressway  so as to ease traffic.

“The construction is supposed to take two years, but Dangote  promised us that in a period less  than that the project would be  completed.”  President of Dangote Group,  Aliko Dangote, said the project,  which would be the largest concrete road in West Africa, would be delivered ahead of the  two years completion target.  Dangote said, “With the  completion of this road, I’m positive that the revenue of not just only the port, but all the people around the port and  Nigeria as a whole, will quadruple.  “This will open up the economy  and boost ease of doing business and improve our ranking in annual global competitiveness.”