Umahi Orders Contractors To Minimise Demolitions On Trans-Sahara Highway

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed contractors handling the Federal Government’s Trans-Sahara Highway project to minimise the demolition of houses and other properties along the road corridor.

Umahi gave the directive during an inspection of the ongoing project at the weekend, assuring residents and other stakeholders that the government remained committed to completing the strategic highway while limiting its impact on host communities.

The minister said Section One of the project covers about 123 kilometres from the Ebonyi axis to the Ebonyi-Benue boundary, while Section Two spans approximately 173.4 kilometres through parts of Benue, Enugu and Kogi states, terminating at the Benue River and Nasarawa boundary.

According to him, the two sections have a combined length of about 300 kilometres and are designed for a speed of 100 kilometres per hour.

Umahi said the completed highway would significantly reduce travel time and improve connectivity across the South-East, North-Central and South-South regions.

He added that the project would strengthen agricultural supply chains, facilitate trade and expand commercial activities across communities along the corridor.

The minister also highlighted the security benefits of the project, noting that improved road connectivity would enhance the movement of security personnel and link communities that were previously difficult to access.

Umahi disclosed that Section One, which is currently being constructed as a single carriageway, would eventually be upgraded to a dual carriageway and integrated with other legacy infrastructure projects of the Tinubu administration.

He further said an approximately 8.9-kilometre bypass around Afikpo towards the Timbershed area would also be dualised under the broader intervention.

Expressing satisfaction with the commitment of the contractor handling Section Two, the minister said the Federal Government remained determined to complete the project despite financial constraints arising from the volume of road infrastructure projects being executed nationwide.

The Project Manager of Section Two, Rabih Munayer, said the contractor was complying with the minister’s directive to minimise property damage and avoid unnecessary demolition along the alignment.

Munayer said the 173.4-kilometre section remained subject to adjustments as the ongoing design review progressed.

He added that the contractor would deploy additional pipes and temporary measures, particularly during the rainy season, to maintain trafficability and ensure construction activities continued without unnecessarily disrupting communities.

A stakeholder from Ndiagu Ishieke Community, Chief Idenyi Agbo, commended the Federal Government for the project, describing it as a major intervention capable of transforming the economic fortunes of communities along the corridor.

Agbo also praised Umahi for combining his engineering expertise and administrative experience with sensitivity to the cultural heritage of host communities in executing the project.

The inspection further underscored the Federal Government’s renewed focus on major road infrastructure as a driver of economic integration and regional development.

Community leaders along the corridor expressed optimism that the completion of the Trans-Sahara Highway would significantly improve the socio-economic conditions of communities in the affected states.