President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday flagged off the 118.85 km Section 1 road construction of the Calabar-Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa, and Abuja Super Highway under the Federal Ministry of Works.
The Ebonyi State section of the road spans from Cross River, Ndibe Beach, connecting Ukwu Achi, Abakaliki/Enugu Highway, through Mbeke Isieke State Border road.
Represented by Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, the event was held at Amuro Mgbom Primary School in Afikpo.
The President assured the people that the Federal Government was committed to completing the project.
“This coastal highway project is a significant milestone in our administration’s efforts to boost infrastructure development and economic growth in the region,” he said.
“Today, we are starting with the first section, which comprises Ebonyi, Calabar, Benue, Kogi, and Abuja. I am confident in the calibre of people handling the project,” he added.
He assured that his administration would ensure the timely completion of the road project.
Earlier, in an address, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, said the South-East zone of the Country had every reason to be grateful to the APC-led Federal Government of Nigeria.
He said that the contractor, Hitek Construction Limited, was a reputable company, also handling the Amasiri, Abia to Okigwe in Imo State project.
Umahi emphasized that once completed, the project would open a network of new roads in one stretch, promoting economic opportunities.
In a remark, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim lauded the Federal Government for the initiative.
Anyim also enumerated other federal road projects currently ongoing in the South-East, including the Onitsha/Enugu and Port Harcourt/Enugu highways, among others.
Dignitaries present at the occasion included the State Deputy Governor, Patricia Obila; the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Moses Ije Odunwa; the Chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area, Timothy Nwachi A.U.; National and State House of Assembly members, and members of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Ebonyi State chapter.
