President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the allocation of over ₦1.3 trillion for road and bridge infrastructure projects across Nigeria’s South-East region, reinforcing his administration’s pledge to drive inclusive development and national unity through infrastructure equity.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, titled “President Tinubu Treating the South-East Region with Fairness and Equity in Road and Bridge Infrastructure Development.”
Umahi described recent claims alleging infrastructural neglect of the South-East as “deliberately misleading,” referencing a viral article titled “The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South-East Missing from the Map?” The publication had questioned the federal government’s infrastructural focus in the region.
“I understand that politics is now in the air. Some people prefer to play to the gallery and mislead the public instead of recognising the facts,” Umahi stated. “But Mr President is using fair infrastructure distribution to reunite Nigerians.”
According to the Minister, the ₦1.3tn earmarked includes ongoing and newly approved road projects, many of which were abandoned since 2013 but have now been revived and accelerated under Tinubu’s administration.
Among the highlighted projects are:
Cross River–Ebonyi–Benue–Kogi–Nasarawa–Abuja Legacy Corridor:
Total length: 465km x2, with South-East covering 231.64km
Contract value: ₦445.8bn
Payment made so far: ₦108bn
Second Niger Bridge Access Roads:
Delta State Section 2A: ₦146bn
Anambra State Section 2B: ₦176bn
Enugu–Onitsha Expressway:
MTN Tax Credit Value: ₦202bn
CBC completion funding: ₦150bn
Recent disbursement: ₦45bn
Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway:
Currently segmented into four active construction sections
Other Ongoing Road Projects:
Enugu–Abakaliki
Afikpo–Abia–Imo Corridor
Onitsha–Owerri–Aba Expressway
Aba–Ikot Ekpene Road
Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road
Umahi asserted that the South-East’s infrastructure needs are being adequately addressed, contrary to claims of marginalisation.
The Minister emphasized that President Tinubu’s development blueprint includes four legacy corridors spanning all six geo-political zones. The South-East, he said, is prominently featured.
“What happened at the Federal Executive Council on July 31, 2025, was a technical revision, not a denial. The road referenced by the media as ‘Oyo–Benue border’ is misleading. The corridor actually covers Ebonyi to Benue border under the Trans-Saharan Trade Route, not Oyo,” Umahi clarified.
He instructed federal regional directors to return to project sites and document progress across all regions, aiming to provide Nigerians with transparent updates on the scale of federal infrastructural development.
Umahi called on the South-East public to rally behind Tinubu’s administration, stressing that regional development should transcend political divisions.
“We must not be deceived again. President Tinubu has shown love and fairness to the South-East. This is the time to reciprocate that goodwill with support—up to 90% of our votes in the next election should go to him,” Umahi urged.
He concluded by calling for a public retraction of misinformation and emphasized the importance of objective public discourse, especially when it relates to national development