Amasiri-Uturu-Okigwe Road to Be Ready by December 2026, Says Umahi

From Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki

The Federal Government has disclosed that it is targeting the completion of the ongoing Amasiri-Uturu-Okigwe Federal Road project on or before December 2026.
The road construction is being funded under the Dangote Tax Credit Scheme, which also covers the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway project.
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, disclosed this on Thursday while inspecting ongoing federal road projects across Ebonyi State.
The projects inspected include the Ndibe Beach Road project in Afikpo Local Government Area, which features a 19-span bridge; the Onueke Road project in Ezza South Local Government Area, which includes a dual-carriage flyover; and the Amasiri-Uturu-Okigwe Road project.
Umahi also revealed that construction work has commenced on Section Two of the 178-kilometre road project approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to him, the project stretches through parts of Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa states and is expected to connect with the ongoing 465-kilometre route terminating at Apu in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
According to the minister:
“Based on my assessment of the pace of work being executed by the contractor on the Sokoto-Badagry Road project, I have come to the conclusion that they can complete the Amasiri-Uturu-Okigwe Road within five months. Therefore, we strongly believe that by December, this project should be completed.
“What I am asking from the contractor is to replicate the same speed and quality being demonstrated on the Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry projects on this Amasiri-Uturu-Okigwe route.
“This project begins from Amasiri in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and extends into Abia State through Uturu to Okigwe.
“The project consists of 61 kilometres of single carriageway, in addition to another five kilometres of a second carriageway. That second carriageway will form part of Phase One of the project.
“The total contract sum stands at N193 billion under the Dangote Tax Credit Scheme, and that is what we are witnessing here today.”
Speaking further, Umahi said the government had already commenced Section Two of the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Kogi–Nasarawa–Abuja superhighway corridor.
“At the end of Section One, which spans 465 kilometres from Calabar through Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa to Apu in Abuja, we have now commenced Section Two,”
“Section Two covers 178 kilometres, beginning from the Ebonyi-Benue boundary, passing through Kogi and Nasarawa states, and terminating at the Owete Bridge.
“Although the current procurement covers a single carriageway, plans are underway for the procurement of a second carriageway covering about 295 kilometres.
“This means that from Calabar, the route will eventually have dual carriageways, similar to the other legacy projects of President Tinubu.
“The contractor handling this section is also executing the Abuja-Kano Highway project, and you can see the quality and beauty of that work.
“You can equally see the impressive progress on this project. From Onueke down to Abaomege, the contractor is actively working on more than 10 sections simultaneously with heavy equipment on site,” he added.
Umahi further expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work at the Onueke section of the project.
According to him, foundation work on the flyover project has reached about 60 per cent completion.
“I am very satisfied with the work being done by the contractor,”
“Yesterday, I inspected the flyover project at Onueke and expressed satisfaction with the quality, beauty, and speed of the work.
“I strongly believe that by the end of May, the contractor will complete the foundation stage. Foundation work accounts for about 60 per cent of the entire project, and I am confident that the project can be completed before December.”he said.
The minister also disclosed that the Ndibe Beach–Calabar–Benue axis, covering about 123 kilometres, has been earmarked for dualisation.
“When we commenced work from Ndibe Beach through Calabar to the Benue-Ebonyi boundary, the total stretch was 123 kilometres.
“Initially, what was procured was a 12-metre-wide single carriageway throughout the corridor. However, we later decided to dualise the road.
“The 123 kilometres will be constructed using reinforced concrete pavement and fitted with solar-powered street lights. The total cost of the project is about N454 billion, and the President has graciously released 50 per cent of the project cost.
“At the Abaomege flyover axis, we are dualising one kilometre forward and another one kilometre backward from the interchange,” the minister stated.