Governor Francis Nwifuru has commended President Bola Tinubu for flagging off the construction of the 118.85km superhighway connecting South-South, Southeast and North Central regions of Nigeria to the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Nwifuru who represented Tinubu during the flag-off ceremony for the road construction, at Amuro Primary School in the Afikpo local government area of Ebonyi State, said the superhighway would link Calabar, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa and Abuja.
While citing President Tinubu's speech, he assured that the superhighway would not only be completed at the designated time but of high-quality standards in rigid concrete pavement.
He urged unwavering support for the successful completion of the road by the benefitting communities of the project, advising them to ensure adequate security of workers and their tools in their areas.
He described the take-off of section one of the superhighway as a project that promises to change the face of infrastructure across the southeast, particularly Ebonyi and its neighbouring states.
"This initiative is not merely a civil engineering task. It is a bold declaration that the era of isolation, marginalization, and infrastructural neglect is giving way to an era of transformation, inclusion, and nationwide accessibility.
"This corridor, which begins here in our dear state — from the serene banks of Ndibe Beach in Afikpo Local Government Area traverses Ukwuachi-Mbeke Ishieke, Ebonyi Local Government Area and proceeds into Benue State — is part of a larger, ambitious highway system that links the Enugu-Abakaliki/Ogoja Highway through Benue, Kogi, Nassarawa, to the very heart of Nigeria’s capital, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
"The project’s extension into Cross River State, through Odukpani to Calabar, solidifies its importance not just regionally but nationally," he said.
He further extolled the Tinubu-led federal government for understanding the strategic importance of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarwa-Abuja route, saying it would not only reduce travel time, open access to markets, ease the movement of goods and services but reconnect the Nigerian people in a deeper, and more fundamental way.
Earlier, the Works Minister, David Umahi, described the road as one of the legacy projects initiated by Mr President and urged Southeast people to throw their weight behind the present administration in the state and at the centre.
Also, the Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, Engr Olufunso Adebiyi, said the road when completed will boost socio-economic activities in the area and urged members of the benefitting states to ensure active support from the beginning to its successful completion of the project.
The event was massively attended including former and present government functionaries both at the state and national levels, traditional rulers, traders, and support groups, among others that commended the take-off of the project and prayed for its timely completion.
