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| Minister of Work — David Umahi |
As Works Minister David Umahi openly ties project completion to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
On 13 October 2026 in Bida, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago performed the groundbreaking on behalf of the President for the reconstruction and dualisation of the roughly 401-kilometre federal highway. Official figures place the cost at approximately N1.8 trillion (some earlier references cited N1.5 trillion), financed through the Federal Government’s infrastructure tax-credit scheme with the Dangote Group. The road will use continuously reinforced concrete pavement rather than conventional asphalt, with construction planned to start simultaneously from four locations to accelerate delivery.
Works Minister David Umahi described the project as a potential fifth “legacy” road of the Tinubu administration, citing its scale, the concrete technology, and private-sector participation. He revealed that the Federal Government is executing about 5,500 kilometres of new and ongoing road projects nationwide, of which Niger State accounts for 1,055 kilometres. In the North-Central zone alone, 162 kilometres of roads and roughly 115–150 metres of bridges have already been completed.
Umahi argued that Tinubu needs another four-year term to finish the numerous projects initiated under his administration.
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A corridor long overdue for intervention
The Lambata–Bida–Mokwa–Makera–Kontagora route has for years been a notoriously difficult stretch. Sections suffered chronic deterioration, contributing to accidents, delays in moving agricultural produce, and higher transport costs for communities that depend on the corridor. The project was previously awarded in 2022 to CGC but stalled; it was later rescoped and re-awarded to the Dangote Group under the tax-credit model after intervention involving the Ministry of Works and the Information Minister. Officials noted the corridor’s history of serious crashes, including incidents involving fuel scoops from fallen tankers.
Niger State’s importance amplifies the stakes. As Nigeria’s largest state by landmass and often called the “Power State,” it hosts major hydroelectric facilities—Kainji, Jebba, Shiroro, and the more recent Zungeru plant—that supply a significant share of national electricity. It is also a key agricultural producer of rice, maize, yam, millet, sorghum, cassava and sugarcane. Better roads here directly affect food movement, market access for farmers, and the flow of goods between the North-Central region and other parts of the country.
Governor Bago and Minister of Information Mohammed Idris both emphasised that the highway will open communities, strengthen intra-state and inter-regional links, and stimulate grassroots economic activity.
Tax-credit financing and concrete technology
The Dangote Group’s involvement comes through the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme (originally established by Executive Order 007 in 2019). Under the model, private companies finance approved road works and recover costs via tax credits. Mansir Ahmed, representing the Dangote Group, said the company was pleased to participate and that concrete pavement was chosen for greater durability and climate resilience compared with asphalt. Construction from multiple fronts is intended to shorten the overall timeline and generate local employment.
Umahi and other officials link the scale of current infrastructure spending to fiscal space created by Tinubu’s economic reforms, including fuel-subsidy removal. They present the Niger project as evidence that those reforms are enabling investments that were previously constrained.
Political messaging and continuity
The ceremony carried clear political overtones. Umahi’s call for a second term for Tinubu to complete ongoing works was explicit. Governor Bago went further, pledging that Niger State would deliver the highest number of votes nationwide for Tinubu in 2027 and urging Nigerians to maintain peace so the President could finish a second term “before power returned to the North.” Traditional rulers, including Etsu Nupe Yahaya Abubakar, and state officials welcomed the project and assured support for its successful delivery. Legislators from the Senate and House Works committees, along with presidential aides, also stressed the economic benefits and the need for continuity in the administration’s infrastructure programmes.
Such messaging is common at major project launches in Nigeria, where large multi-year works often straddle election cycles. Critics of the approach argue that infrastructure should be institutional rather than personality-driven; supporters counter that political continuity reduces the risk of abandoned or poorly maintained projects that have plagued previous administrations.
Broader context and realistic expectations
The Niger highway sits within a larger national road programme that Umahi has repeatedly quantified in the thousands of kilometres. Other high-profile efforts include extensions and upgrades to coastal and inter-state corridors. Concrete pavement is being promoted as a longer-lasting solution suited to Nigeria’s climate and traffic loads, though its higher upfront cost and construction demands require careful quality control and maintenance planning.
For residents and businesses along the corridor, the immediate hopes centre on safer travel, lower vehicle operating costs, faster movement of farm produce, and new commercial opportunities.
Delivery will depend on consistent funding flows under the tax-credit arrangement, effective project supervision, and coordination between federal and state authorities. Governor Bago’s own record of constructing over 300 kilometres of roads, multiple flyovers and an underpass in the state has been cited by Umahi as complementary state-level effort.
In short, the flag-off of the Lambata-Bida-Mokwa-Makera-Kontagora dualisation is both a concrete infrastructure intervention in a critical economic zone and a political statement about the value of continuity. Whether the project becomes a true legacy asset will be measured less by the groundbreaking rhetoric and more by kilometres completed, durability over time, and tangible improvements in the daily movement of people and goods across Niger State and beyond.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
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