President Bola Tinubu said more funds would be committed to infrastructure development and urged governors to collaborate with the federal government to align building approvals nationwide.
The President, who commissioned the Lekki Deep Sea Port Access Road at the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant on Thursday in Lagos, said proper approval alignment between subnational and federal governments will facilitate the construction of major roads and bridges across the country.
“I have directed the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Surveyor General of the Federation to work more closely with the governors,” the President said.
In a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu said aligning state approvals with the Federal Government will reduce the burden of compensation and delays in actualising people-oriented projects.
“Please, my dear governors, let’s work together. Don’t give planning approvals without collaboration with the Surveyor General and the Ministry of Works. I am appealing to you to realise the same development goal.
“Let me emphasise the ban by the Federal Government of Nigeria on any dredging within a 10km radius of all our bridges nationwide. I appeal to all governors, relevant agencies, and security agencies to implement this ban immediately,” President Tinubu said.
The ceremony came five days after the President commissioned Phase 1 of Section One of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, also in Lagos.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Works, Messrs Hitech Construction Company Limited, Messrs Dangote Industries Limited, BUA and all contractors involved in the country’s road development. He said his administration was committed to building enduring infrastructure nationwide.
He dismissed critics of the government’s legacy projects for being ignorant about how the government awarded the legacy roads to contractors.
“It is necessary to note that the Federal Executive Council approved our Legacy Projects to be procured, awarded and constructed in sections. The completed 30km segment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is part of the 47.7km six-lane Section I contract, not a wholesale 750km contract, as some have suggested. No contractor has been awarded the entire corridor.
“Our approach has been systematic, transparent, and section-based. The Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway envisioned 47 years ago under the Shagari administration is another legacy project we have revived. This corridor – spanning Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos – holds immense potential for agriculture, trade, and industrialisation.
“It connects over 58 dams, vast arable farmlands, and trade routes to our West African neighbours and offers great promise for windmill energy generation. Construction is well underway. In Kebbi, we have completed over 10 km of the 258 km three-lane carriageway, and today we flag off the second carriageway. This section is the longest in all our Legacy Projects.
“In Sokoto, work has begun on the 120 km 2single-carriageway by three lanes from Illela. I understand that over 10km of this project is already completed. Today, we shall be flagging off the second carriageway of 120km with three lanes.
“Work is also at an advanced stage in this section. More sections are being designed for procurement and award within the whole length of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway. On my way here, I witnessed significant progress at Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, with over 10 km of the 55 km stretch already completed.
“I am also pleased to report ongoing works in the Cross River and Akwa Ibom sections and have directed that more segments be designed and procured. The Trans-Sahara Trade Route, another visionary project, is advancing steadily. It will connect Calabar to Abuja via Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa,” he said.
The President thanked the “four wise men of the private sector”: Jim Ovia, Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Aliko Dangote, for contributing to Nigeria’s economy. He also commended the Minister of Works, Roland and Gilbert Chagoury, and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.
The governors of Plateau, Abia, Enugu, Ogun, Borno, and Kaduna States attended the ceremony.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, the governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, thanked the President for removing the subsidy, which had translated into increased allocations to the states for health, education, and infrastructure investments.
Sani assured the President of the sub-national collaboration to improve infrastructure nationwide.
President Tinubu thanked Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his interest in developing the country through continuous investments.
“Having inspected the Dangote refinery, which is a great point of reference, a great phenomenon of our time and a massive investment, I want to thank Aliko Dangote,” he stated. “I am happy that the Deep Sea Port I initiated as Governor of Lagos State is a huge success today. Users save vast amounts of money using this port because they no longer need to trans-ship their goods. I commend the quality of the access road done by Messrs Dangote Industries Limited on our Tax Credit Road programme and the subcontractor, Messrs Hitech Construction Company Limited.
The president of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, thanked the President for envisioning and implementing the Lekki Deep Sea Port project and assured him of the private sector’s support for expanding infrastructure nationwide.
