The Minister of Works, David Umahi, says President Bola Tinubu has approved funds for the construction of the Second Niger Bridge bypasses, the Lagos-Ibadan highway and the Lafia bypass.

Mr Umahi said this on Thursday in Makurdi during the inspection of the Lafia bypass road and dualisation of the 9th Mile, Enugu-Otukpo-Makurdi Road project.

The minister, who had earlier inspected the Mararaba-Keffi road, expressed joy that Mr Tinubu had released funds for the completion of the projects.

“This one is 260 kilometres, and it is 229 kilometres completed. Some sections are not good, and I have directed them to go back and work on the first five kilometres, but the rest are beautiful.

“I want to thank Mr President, who, about three days ago, approved that work should immediately commence in many sections of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road.

“We were having some problems with funding, but the president has solved the problem and directed for the immediate release of funds so that the road construction will continue.

“The same thing with the Lagos-Ibadan highway and the second Niger bridge two bypasses,” he said.

Mr Umahi, however, said he would have preferred for the roads to be made of cement concrete, though they are being constructed with asphalt.

He commended the Benue and Enugu governors for their efforts in ensuring that contractors worked seamlessly on the routes by providing a security task force for their protection.

The minister assured that everything both governors requested concerning the roads would be granted.

“The flyover you are requesting for, we are going to incorporate it. If you are building a road and the people are being inconvenienced or we finished it and it does not solve the problems, we have done nothing.

“From the beginning of the road to here, it must be done on concrete. So, anywhere we have bad terrain, we will scope it for concrete.

“We will put the middle of the divide of the two carriageways at the middle of the existing route,” he said.

He said the project was financed by China Exim Bank, so the money was available, and the project was in dollars, so it would not vary that much.

Reacting, Governor Hyacinth Alia, who joined the minister in the inspection, said he was grateful to Mr Tinubu for making the dream of Benue come true.

The 260-kilometre project cuts across the Federal Capital Territory to Nasarawa, Benue and Enugu.

It is jointly funded by the Export-Import Bank of Nigeria 85 per cent and 15 per cent by the federal government.

The project, handled by China Harbour Nigeria Limited, is expected to be delivered in 48 months.

(NAN)