Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved various road construction and rehabilitation projects across several states in the country.  

In late September, the council approved a contract to build a 258km section of the 1,000km Sokoto-Badagry six-lane superhighway, which will run from Illela in Sokoto state in the country’s northwest to the Badagry area of Lagos state in the south.  

The approved section will be constructed with continuous reinforced concrete pavement in Sokoto and Kebbi states, starting at Silame in Sokoto and ending at Buya in Kebbi.

According to an early September publication by the government’s National Orientation Agency (NOA), the 258km route is the largest section of the highway project and the first phase to be launched. The agency said the overall highway is still being designed. In early May, Minister of Works David Umahi said President Bola Tinubu had directed the ministry to commence the design.

The NOA said the Sokoto portion of the expressway will span 120km and that the highway corridor includes 53 dams that will be developed for agricultural purposes and electricity generation.

According to the NOA, the highway’s construction will be carried out by several contractors to ensure efficiency and adherence to timelines, and major contractors who already have a presence in Nigeria are likely to handle significant sections of the scheme.

The Sokoto-Badagry expressway will also run through the Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara and Niger states, as well as provide cross-border connectivity to Benin, Togo and Niger. The route is expected to connect the Lagos port complex in Apapa and the Seme land border with Benin as well as the Agbara Industrial Estate in Ogun state.

The expressway also comprises the Nigerian section of the Trans-West coastal highway scheme, which aims to link 12 African coastal nations from Mauritania to Nigeria, along with feeder roads to two landlocked countries, Mali and Burkina Faso. The Trans-West highway will mostly follow the coastline along more than 4,000km and connect the capitals of the countries involved.

According to Nigeria’s Ministry of Water Resources, the construction of the Sokoto-Badagry highway is expected to create over 1.6 million jobs and foster the development of 46,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within the next five years. Additionally, the project is projected to double Nigeria's GDP from US$147 billion to US$290 billion by stimulating agricultural value chains, improving market access, boosting productivity and reducing post-harvest losses.

Along with the expressway award, the FEC approved an additional Naira 80 billion (US$48.9 million) to complete the construction of the Bodo-Bonny road in Rivers state, with the local Julius Berger given an additional 12 months to complete the scheme. The deal was originally let in 2014 for Naira 120 billion, which was revised in 2021 to Naira 199.9 billion, and the current cost stands at Naira 280 billion.

The Bodo-Bonny road is said to be the first road link between Bonny Island and the rest of Rivers state and the scope includes building a 39km road, two 23-metre bridges, the 530-metre Afa Creek Bridge and 640-metre Nanabie Creek Bridge, and a 750-metre bridge over the Opobo Channel.

In addition, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) Nigeria was awarded two contracts worth a combined Naira 133.4 billion for the construction of the Cross River-Oferekpe road and rehabilitation of the road running from Kabba in the Kogi state through Iyamoye, Omuo, Ikole and Ifaki to the Ado-Ekiti road.

CCECC was also appointed to repair the damaged loops and ramps of the Third Mainland Bridge superstructure and rehabilitate the Adeniji-Falomo road in Lagos for a combined Naira 42 billion. Completion is targeted in six months.

The FEC also approved the rescoping and downward review of the contract awarded to Julius Berger for the rehabilitation of the 375.9km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual-carriageway road, which runs through the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, Kaduna and Kano states. The route connects the country’s north to its other regions as well as linking Nigeria to North Africa via the Lagos-Algiers Trans-African Highway.

The project has been revised down to Naira 740.8 billion with a 14-month completion period, and the scope now includes the installation of solar lights.

The FEC also sanctioned the construction and dualisation of section 2 of the Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe road running across the Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states. In addition, a new contract was approved for the rehabilitation of the Marabar-Kankara-Funtua road in the Katsina state.

Meanwhile, a Naira 158 billion contract was awarded to the local Dangote Industries to construct service lanes for the Lekki Deep Sea Port through Epe to the Shagamu-Benin expressway..

In addition, the FEC approved reconstruction projects for 14 federal highways and bridges across several states that were badly affected by floods. These include routes in the Ekiti, Adamawa, Kebbi, Enugu, Cross River, River, Osun, Plateau, Ebonyi, Abia, Imo and Ondo states.

The local BDT International Limited was awarded a Naira 3.2 billion contract to repair the Gamboru Bridge along the Gamboru-Ngala-Kala Balde road in Borno state. Work is targeted to take 24 months to conclude.

The FEC also approved several contracts and road projects in the FCT state. The council approved three roads in FCT satellite towns, including the Pai-Gomani road in Kuala, Aguma Palace-Radio Nigeria-New Market road in Gwagwalada, and road upgrades in Bwari. The council also sanctioned contracts to build judges quarters in Katampe and access roads to the quarters.

Photo: Bodo-Bonny road project (Source: Julius Berger)