The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement for the Southeast, Barrister Choma Nweze has described President Tinubu road project in Southeast as a major economic intervention capable of transforming communities across the zone noting that the intervention is already yeilding the needed results.

Nweze who accompanied Minister of Works Sen David Umahi for an inspection of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja highway project noted that the ongoing construction would improve access to healthcare, markets and economic centres, particularly for rural communities.

“I’m amazed that every road, every place is being opened up. This will give our women the opportunity of getting to hospital without giving birth on the road. It will make our farmers able to bring their food to town to sell,” she said.

She added that the highway would reconnect communities across the Southeast and adjoining states while reviving historical trade routes.

Nweze commended President Tinubu and the Works Ministry for what she described as the simultaneous execution of major road projects across the Southeast, urging residents to acknowledge the developmental impact of the infrastructure programme.

The Works Minister while commending the contractor, Infiouest International, for the pace and quality of work on the corridor, he added that Federal government was working with relevant authorities on compensation and resettlement issues to those that their buildings and other properties affected by the road alignment.

He commended the Ebonyi State government for supporting compensation efforts in affected communities, particularly around the Onueke flyover corridor.

The minister maintained that the Trans-Sahara Highway would significantly reduce travel time, improve security and expand economic opportunities across the corridor.

He said the project was part of the Federal government’s broader infrastructure programme under President Tinubu, insisting that the administration was determined to address long-standing infrastructure deficits and improve connectivity across the country.

Umahi also urged Nigerians, particularly the media, to report the progress of major infrastructure projects accurately, saying public discourse on government projects should be based on verifiable facts and figures.

The inspection brought together officials of the Federal Ministry of Works, contractors, engineers, community representatives and other stakeholders involved in the Trans-Sahara Highway project.

Umahi disclosed that Section One of the Trans-Sahara Highway project, linking Calabar through Ebonyi State and onward to the North, has reached about 45 per cent completion, with more than 2,000 workers already engaged on the project.

According to him, the project is one of the Federal government’s strategic infrastructure interventions aimed at opening up the Southeast to greater economic opportunities, improving security and strengthening inter-state connectivity.

“Section One is about 40, I will give them 45 per cent in completion. The quality of the concrete pavement is top-notch,” Umahi said.

He explained that the first section covers about 125.5 kilometres, beginning from the Ndibe Beach axis and passing through communities including Akpoha, Abomege, Amudo and Onueke, as well as parts of Ezza North and Ebonyi Local Government Areas.

The minister said some portions of the alignment were being dualised to accommodate growing economic activities and urban development, citing the 8.9-kilometre stretch around Afikpo and a two-kilometre section at Abomege among areas receiving special attention.

Umahi further disclosed that Section Two, which extends into Benue and other states, covers about 173.6 kilometres and has a contract value of approximately ₦683 billion, adding that the Federal government had already paid 30 per cent of the contract sum.

“There is nothing stopping the contractor from working,” he said, stressing that the project would ultimately provide a major transportation corridor linking the Southeast with other parts of the country.

The minister said the broader route would facilitate faster movement of agricultural produce, goods and people while improving security through the installation of CCTV surveillance and solar-powered lighting infrastructure.

He also disclosed that Infiouest had created employment opportunities for more than 2,000 people within the first section of the project.

“Within the first section of the road, Infiouest has employed over 2,000 people,” Umahi said, describing the project as a major source of direct and indirect employment and economic activity.

Also speaking, the Acting Controller of the Trans-Sahara Road Project in Ebonyi State, Engineer Maxwell Oko, said the inspection point was at kilometre 118+300 of Section Two.

Oko explained that Section One runs from the Ndibe Beach axis through several communities in Ebonyi State, with major structures including flyovers at Onueke and Ukwachi Junctions, as well as other proposed and ongoing bridge infrastructure.

He said Section One was awarded at approximately ₦454 billion, while Section Two was awarded to Infiouest International at about ₦683 billion.

Earlier, the Engineer in charge of Section One, Mohammed Mustapha, said the contractor had made significant progress on the alignment, noting that the section had advanced from Afikpo to the Mbeke axis.

“We are almost at 40 per cent of the project, starting from Afikpo to reach Mbeke here,” Mustapha said while receiving the minister during the inspection.

The Engineer in charge of Section Two, Rabih Munayyar, said the contractor was accelerating mobilisation and construction activities, including bush clearing and other preparatory works.

He commended the minister’s technical supervision of the project, saying, “I have never seen anybody so technically professional. Really, I’m impressed.”