FEC approves major road projects, Carter bridge demolition

2026-03-04 - 18:36

...plans to commission four per zone by May 15 By Johnbosco Agbakwuru ABUJA — THE Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday, approved several major road and bridge projects across the country, including the reconstruction of key highways and the redesign of Carter Bridge in Lagos. The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, who disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, said six major projects received approval. The minister explained that the council approved the completion of the Suleja-Minna Road, which had earlier been awarded to Salini Construction Company but later terminated due to poor performance. According to him, only about 10 kilometres of the project had been executed before the contract was cancelled. Umahi explained that after reviewing the project, the government resolved to complete the remaining 71 kilometres dual carriageway, adding that one carriageway has now been awarded to China Geo-Engineering Corporation (CGC) at a cost of N91 billion, while the second carriageway has also received Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) clearance. He said President Tinubu directed that the road be constructed using reinforced concrete to ensure durability. The minister further announced that FEC approved N5.6 billion for the design and costing of a new Carter Bridge project in Lagos, explaining that the existing bridge can no longer be rehabilitated. He said the government would demolish the current structure and construct a new bridge based on recommendations from technical assessments. “The stakeholders’ engagement and technical reviews showed that the Carter Bridge can no longer be rehabilitated. It has to be demolished and a completely new bridge constructed,” Umahi said. He added that Advanced Engineering Consultants was engaged to carry out the full design and cost evaluation ahead of the procurement process for construction. On another project, Umahi said FEC approved the review and rescoping of the Kano-Kongolam Road, a tax credit project originally awarded in 2022. The project, which covers 132 kilometres across Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states, was initially planned as an asphalt road but has now been redesigned as a three-lane concrete carriageway with solar-powered streetlights and CCTV installations to address security concerns. The revised project is estimated to cost N334 billion. The council also approved the reconstruction of the Abuja-Lokoja Road, where two underperforming contractors had their contracts terminated. Umahi said the affected section, covering 86 kilometres, would now be reconstructed with reinforced concrete and handled by five contractors, with Julius Berger and other firms already working on different segments of the corridor. The project is estimated to cost N146 billion. Similarly, FEC approved the reconstruction of the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road, a 103-kilometre dual carriageway project valued at N427 billion. Umahi said the road had been awarded by the previous administration but little progress was made before the current government reviewed and re-awarded the project. He noted that the Governor of Osun State had already completed about five kilometres of the road as part of the state’s infrastructure development programme. The minister also announced approval for Phase Two of the Keffi-Nasarawa-Abaji Road rehabilitation, covering 129.3 kilometres at a cost of N203 billion. According to him, the project will improve connectivity between Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory. Umahi further disclosed that the federal government plans to commission at least four major road projects in each geopolitical zone by May 15, adding that the projects are major infrastructure developments and not temporary palliative works. “We are presenting a minimum of four completed projects in each zone for presidential commissioning by May 15. These are not palliative works; they are major infrastructure projects,” the minister said.