President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated a 600-metre underpass and a 3.7-kilometre dualised township road network in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion and stimulate economic activities.
Represented by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the President said the projects would significantly improve traffic flow and enhance commerce in the area.
The Nasarawa State Government, led by Governor Abdullahi Sule, executed the projects under its urban renewal programme aimed at transforming major towns across the state.
Tinubu said anyone familiar with Akwanga would appreciate the transformation that had taken place.
“Anybody who has seen this road before this time knows how congested this road used to be. The congestion, the delays, especially during festivities, makes it take hours to pass this road. And the massive work you (Governor Sule) have done in the shortest possible time on this road is admirable.
“I want to use this opportunity to appreciate what you are doing, not just in this town alone. I came through Karu. I saw what you are doing in Karu—so extraordinary.
“You are doing a great job in terms of road network and other things to provide amenities for the people of this state.”
The President said the projects aligned with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda of expanding critical infrastructure nationwide and urged residents to protect the facilities.
Governor Sule thanked the President for commissioning the projects, describing them as investments that would benefit residents and travellers alike.
He said the projects, alongside others executed across the state, were completed without borrowing from financial institutions, attributing the state’s improved financial capacity to the Federal Government’s economic reforms.
“They were carried out because we had the opportunity of what we call the economic reforms, the unification of the foreign exchange, the withdrawal of the subsidy, and the introduction of the new VAT from 7.5 percent to 10 percent.
“This has made it possible for governors like me, who came in in 2019, that is actually seeing an allocation of anywhere between 3.5 and 4 billion naira a month, to now be seeing anything between 13 and 15 billion naira a month.
“And that is what has made it possible that we are carrying out all these projects throughout, and we will not relent till the end of our administration in 2027.”
Sule also expressed confidence that the people of Nasarawa State would reward Tinubu with between 70 and 80 per cent of the votes in the 2027 presidential election.
During the visit, the President also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the 700-kilometre Akwanga–Jos–Kaduna–Bauchi–Gombe–Biu–Maiduguri Superhighway.
Tinubu said the first phase of the project, covering 125 kilometres from Akwanga to Jos, was a key component of the Federal Government’s road infrastructure programme aimed at improving connectivity, road safety and economic development.
He urged the contractors to deliver quality work and ensure local communities benefited from the project.
“Please do not just be contractors, but you are development partners: Train our youth, transfer talent, give skills, create job in the communities. Ensure that our young people are part and parcel of the job that will be created. Ensure that you transfer skills, reasonable skill in our communities,” he said.
Earlier, Minister of Works David Umahi disclosed that the Federal Executive Council had approved N111 billion for the commencement of the concrete road project.
He commended the governors of Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi and Borno states for their cooperation in facilitating the commencement of the project.
Umar Muhammed
