ABUJA — A political support group has praised President Bola Tinubu’s infrastructure strategy, claiming the ongoing construction of a N668 billion superhighway will unlock unprecedented international trade opportunities for Nigeria’s South East region.
The 123.6-kilometre superhighway stretches from Ebonyi State in the South East, runs through the South South, and extends across Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa States in the North Central zone.
In a joint statement, the Democratic Front (TDF) described the ambitious project as an economic game-changer that demonstrates deep insight into the region’s commercial potential. The intervention, according to TDF Chairman Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary Wale Adedayo, marks one of the most significant federal infrastructure investments in the zone’s history.
The group noted that the route follows a colonial-era design that successive administrations had abandoned for decades due to funding constraints and a lack of political will.
“In addition to its economic and trade relevance to the South East region, the highway will ease interstate vehicular movements for commuters and promote social and cultural interactions,” the TDF statement said.
The group further argued that the Tinubu administration has systematically prioritised the development of the South East to address long-standing grievances regarding federal neglect dating back to the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970.
As evidence of this commitment, the TDF highlighted the recent establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC), noting that the federal government provided an initial N140 billion take-off grant to help the commission address historical infrastructure deficits.
According to the support group, the current scale of regional interventions has surpassed the efforts of previous administrations. They attributed the available funding for these multi-billion Naira projects to the presidency’s controversial economic reforms, specifically the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates.
The TDF urged residents of the South East to sustain their support for the administration to ensure the timely completion of the Trans-Saharan corridor and other ongoing federal projects in the zone.
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