The Federal Government has approved the construction of a 420-kilometre dual carriageway linking Akwanga in Nasarawa State through Plateau and Bauchi States to Gombe State.
The approval was disclosed on Sunday by the Director of Information at the Federal Ministry of Works, Mohammed Abdullahi, during a media tour and inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Bauchi–Gombe Federal Highway.
Abdullahi said the project was part of the federal government’s efforts to strengthen road infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth under the eight priority areas of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
He explained that the Federal Executive Council had recently approved the dualisation project as the fourth leg of the administration’s legacy road initiatives, alongside the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway and the Calabar–Ebonyi–Abuja Superhighway.
According to him, the projects are designed to interconnect all regions of the country and will incorporate modern infrastructure such as solar-powered street lighting and other renewable energy components.
Speaking further on the Bauchi–Gombe road, Abdullahi said the ongoing rehabilitation covers 35.4 kilometres, with over 21 kilometres already completed.
He disclosed that the intervention had significantly reduced accidents and travel time on what was previously an accident-prone route.
He added that the road serves as a major link between the North-East, North-Central, and other parts of the country, stressing that its completion would boost agriculture, trade, and economic activities along the corridor.
On his part, the Site Manager of Triacta Nigeria Limited, Engr. Joseph Samaha commended the federal government for awarding the contract, assuring other stakeholders that the project is progressing in line with specifications.
Samaha stressed that the work would be completed within the agreed timeframe.
In a related development, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has commissioned an emergency intervention project involving the repair of collapsed lined drains, three-cell pipe culverts in Konkiyal town, and a concrete-lined drain at Sauke Village, all in Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The project was commissioned on behalf of the minister by the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bauchi State Council, Comrade Umar Sa’idu, who said the intervention would help reduce flooding in the affected communities.
Sa’idu commended the federal government for the prompt response and urged residents of the benefiting areas to ensure proper use of the facilities.
Also speaking, the Federal Controller of Works in Bauchi State, Engr. Adamu Bashir said the project was among the 260 emergency interventions executed nationwide to mitigate the adverse effects of flooding caused by climate change and global warming.
In their separate remarks, representatives of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria and the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Ibrahim Ahmed and Engr. Shehu Wakili, respectively, praised the federal government for the initiative and advised the communities to engage in tree planting to further reduce the impact of climate change and global warming.
