Minister of Works ,Engr Dave Umahi (Middle), walking up to open the 15km completed Enugu to Onitsha Expressway.
From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Federal Government has opened a section of the Enugu–Onitsha expressway currently under construction to commuters in a bid to reduce persistent gridlock and road accidents along the corridor.
Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, who made this known on Thursday, April 2, said the directive followed the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address traffic congestion and recurring mishaps on the route.
The stretch, estimated at about 15 kilometres, runs from Enugu metropolis to the Ninth Mile axis, effectively bypassing the “Onyeama Hill,” an area notorious for frequent gridlock and devastating accidents.
Umahi assured that full completion of the Enugu–Onitsha expressway is scheduled for December 2026, commending President Tinubu for reviving the project after it had been abandoned for over eight years prior to his election in 2023.
He stated, “President Bola’s administration is reconstructing roads and infrastructure in South East Nigeria, marking a significant development for the region.
“When we came on board in 2023, you are witnesses that it was taking over seven hours to ride from Enugu to Onisha.
The most important route in the entire South East is this route. Our people were aware the nature of this route. And we inherited this route under tax credit of MTN and being done for them by RCC.
“But everything was on stand still until I went to cry out to President Bola Tinubu.
“The President did not only give acceleration to the construction of this road, but he directed that at least 50% of it should look like Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway.
Describing the highway as the busiest in the South East, the minister reiterated that the project would be fully delivered by December 2026.
He stated, “Now, the first 15 km of reinforced concrete is about 97% completed. But the President directed me to come and open the road so that the people of South East will not suffer during the Easter period. And that’s why we all here to open the first 15 km of the road.
” The second section of 18 km of concrete road is being done towards Anambra State. And the last section of 39 km is done from the head bridge towards Anambra State. And we have directed even though you are doing on asphalt, you have to do the last 23 km the same way with what SCC is doing. And so the idea is that asphalt will always fail, but concrete will stay between 50 and 100 years with almost no maintenance. And so at the completion of this project in 2026 by the special grace of God to be done by no any other person than President Bola”.
Umahi further listed other ongoing road projects in the South East under the Tinubu administration, including the Enugu–Port Harcourt expressway, Aba–Ikot Ekpene road, and the third legacy project linking Calabar through Ebonyi to Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states up to Abuja.
He also urged the people of the South East to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid, noting that the region stands to benefit from the administration’s ongoing infrastructure drive.
He said, “In 2027, the people of South East must be very strategic.
We want these projects to be completed.
” God has spoken to me that the mighty hands of God are upon President Bola.
“He will win again. He will win again.
“So, it is important that our people are strategic.
“We will not mount the seat of presidency by foul language or by mere wish.
“Nobody will give it to us. We have to be strategic.
” No matter who has the presidential ticket of other political parties, South East people must be strategic to support Payments Tinubu.
“The marginalization we are talking about is over. For the first time, your son is Minister of works.
“The same way you understood the importance of your son being Minister of works, you have to also understand the importance of being strategic in our decision, collective decision. And I want to plead with leaders of South East.
“We need to be vocal about what the President is doing for us. We need to be very vocal. We need to begin to engage.
“You cannot say you are supporting the president when you cannot be bold to tell our people what the president is doing for us.
“We never have service chiefs in the past administration. But this administration with we have two service chiefs, one before and the one now.
“So all the marginalization we are talking about is over.
“It may not be 100%, but the President has just begun”.
