The Federal Government has announced that two major sections of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway in Abia State will be completed and commissioned before the end of 2025.
Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, made the disclosure on Thursday during a meeting with Governor Alex Otti in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area. The meeting followed an inspection of ongoing federal road projects across the state.
Umahi identified the sections as the Umuahia–Aba and Port Harcourt–Aba lanes, describing them as crucial to the region’s infrastructure growth. He stated that the Umuahia–Aba section, handled by Arab Contractors, is on track for completion in December, while the Port Harcourt–Aba stretch is expected to be inaugurated in November.
The minister commended Governor Otti for his cooperation in removing obstructions, including traders and waste, along the Umuahia–Aba axis—a move that helped speed up the project. Umahi praised the governor as “a man with a golden heart” and highlighted the importance of cross-party collaboration in driving national development.
Other ongoing federal projects in the South-East mentioned by Umahi include the Aba–Ikot Ekpene Road, Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road, and the newly awarded Afikpo Road.
Speaking on funding constraints, Umahi revealed that the Bola Tinubu administration inherited 2,604 federal road projects worth ₦13 trillion in 2023. That figure, he said, has now risen to over ₦20 trillion. He noted that while state governments are encouraged to take over federal roads, such interventions will not be reimbursed. However, states can recover costs through tolling the rehabilitated roads.
Umahi also noted increasing bipartisan support for President Tinubu in the South-East, citing his commitment to infrastructure in the region. He said Tinubu’s leadership is winning over governors, regardless of political party.
“All the governors of the South-East are standing with the President. They are doing so because of the love he has shown and the relationships he built over time,” he said.
He disclosed that the President would soon visit Abia to commission completed road projects, including sections of the Enugu–Port Harcourt corridor, describing Tinubu as “a man of infrastructure.”
In his remarks, Governor Otti stressed that collaboration between the federal and state governments is essential for national progress. He praised the Federal Government’s efforts in Abia, especially the recently completed Port Harcourt Road in Aba.
Otti said governance, not politics, should drive development. He highlighted the improved travel time between Rivers and Aba as a major win for commerce, noting that freight forwarders now report faster delivery of goods from wharfs to markets.
