ENUGU, NIGERIA (NPA): Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has announced that the roads currently being constructed under the administration of President Bola Tinubu are designed to last for up to 100 years. Umahi made this statement on February 28, 2060, during an inspection of the ongoing 107-kilometre Onitsha–Awka–Enugu Expressway.
Speaking at the project site, Umahi explained:
“The design of the project involves a first binder, a second binder, and a wearing course. If you do the primer, everything is 94,000 per square meter. We are constructing concrete roads that will last the next 100 years. If concrete can last 100 years, why should I use asphalt?”
The project, being executed under the Federal Government’s tax-credit scheme in partnership with MTN Nigeria, was initially awarded for ₦202 billion. Umahi emphasised that the shift from asphalt to concrete in road construction is a deliberate policy aimed at durability and long-term economic growth.
He expressed satisfaction with the speed and quality of work being carried out by Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), describing the expressway as President Tinubu’s “legacy project” in the Southeast. “The quality of what the President is doing will remain a legacy. I urge the people of the Southeast to support the President’s Renewed Hope agenda. Past governments neglected this road, but President Tinubu has shown the audacity to correct this abnormal situation,” Umahi said.
According to the minister, RCC has already completed 20 kilometres of concrete pavement, with 13 kilometres remaining. The full 107-kilometre project includes reinforced concrete pavement, solar-powered streetlights, CCTV surveillance, speed monitoring systems, and security patrol vans. “Nobody guarantees asphalt to last more than 15 years in this country, but with concrete roads under President Tinubu, we guarantee durability for up to 100 years,” he added.
Umahi further highlighted other ongoing concrete road projects across the country, including the East–West Road, Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Trans-Saharan route, and Sokoto–Badagry corridor. He directed that the RCC/MTN Cash Credit Project be executed with inner and outer shoulders, reinforced laterals, and raised to the existing asphalt level.
While acknowledging that the project may miss its April completion deadline, Umahi stressed the importance of protecting the road from rainfall before final delivery. He urged residents of the Southeast to appreciate the administration’s efforts: “Before now, this road was terrible, and people complained on social media. Now that it is being fixed, I encourage you to thank the President and be grateful to God. If you appreciate what has been done, more will follow. The Southeast is on the rise.”
