Umahi: No More Temporary Fixes as FG Flags Off Ibadan–Ijebu Ode Dualisation

"The project represented a decisive shift towards durable road infrastructure under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu." Umahi

.... Says “Today marks the end of an era of temporary fixes on this vital corridor. Under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are building roads that will outlive generations."

The Federal Government has formally commenced the dualisation of the 56.5-kilometre Ibadan–Ijebu Ode Road, with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, declaring that the strategic corridor would no longer be subjected to temporary repairs.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Monday, Umahi said the project represented a decisive shift towards durable road infrastructure under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Today marks the end of an era of temporary fixes on this vital corridor. Under the visionary leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we are building roads that will outlive generations,” the minister said.

He described the project as an economic intervention capable of unlocking the agricultural and commercial potential of the Lagos-Ogun-Oyo axis, while reducing travel time and improving security along the route.

“This 56.5km dualisation is not just about laying asphalt or concrete; it is a deliberate economic intervention,” Umahi said.

The project, approved by the Federal Executive Council and awarded to JRB Construction Limited, is expected to strengthen one of the major transportation links between Oyo and Ogun states and facilitate the movement of people and goods across the region.

Umahi commended JRB Construction Limited for its work, describing the company as one of the best indigenous contractors and noting the scale of earthworks already being undertaken along the corridor.

Representing President Tinubu at the ceremony, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, said the project was more than a road construction scheme, describing it as a vital economic connection between two neighbouring states.

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, also welcomed the project, saying farmers and traders had endured years of hardship using the road. He expressed confidence that the dualisation would bring lasting economic relief and improved security to communities along the corridor.

Umahi moves to Benin–Asaba, Ifaki–Kabba roads

Shortly after the flag-off, Umahi disclosed that he would move to the Benin–Agbor–Asaba Road to engage stakeholders and seek solutions to the difficulties confronting motorists on the route.

He said the crisis followed the failure of a concession arrangement under which a private concessionaire allegedly removed more than 30 kilometres of asphalt before abandoning the project.

According to him, the Federal Government would engage the independent engineer, legal representatives, the concessionaire and the Edo State Government in a bid to resolve the matter.

The Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, is also expected to inspect the Ifaki–Kabba Road linking Ekiti and Kogi states.

Umahi said the road had attracted President Tinubu’s attention since 2024 because of its deplorable condition, adding that the project had since been redesigned and that Goronyo would submit a report to the President after the inspection.

The Works Minister further defended the scale of road construction under the Tinubu administration, saying critical road projects were being executed across all regions of the country.

“So I want Nigerians to appreciate what the president is doing. Every state is a construction site. There is no region that we say, ‘Oh, we are shortchanged.’ There is nothing like that,” he said.

The ceremony ended with the official ground-breaking of the Ibadan–Ijebu Ode dualisation project, performed by Governor Abiodun on behalf of President Tinubu.

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