President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday inaugurated a 600-metre underpass and a 3.7-kilometre dualised township road network in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The projects were executed by the Nasarawa State Government under its urban renewal initiative aimed at transforming the state.
Represented by Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the president said the projects would ease traffic congestion and stimulate economic activities in the area.
Tinubu said anyone familiar with Akwanga would appreciate the remarkable transformation taking place in the town.
“Anybody who has seen this road before this time knows how congested it has been. The congestion and delays, especially during festive periods, made it take hours to pass through.
“The massive work you have done within the shortest possible time is admirable.
“I want to appreciate what you are doing, not only in this town. I came through Karu and saw the extraordinary work you are doing there.
“You are doing a great job in developing road infrastructure and providing other amenities for the people of the state,” he said.
The president said the projects aligned with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda of providing critical infrastructure across the country.
He described them as part of efforts to modernise Nigeria’s road infrastructure and position the area as a major transit hub.
Earlier, Gov. Abdullahi Sule thanked the president for inaugurating the projects for public use.
The governor said the projects, along with others across the state, were executed without borrowing from any financial institution.
According to him, the projects were made possible by the Federal Government’s economic reforms, including the unification of the foreign exchange market, removal of fuel subsidy and increase in Value Added Tax (VAT).
He said the reforms had significantly improved monthly allocations to states.
“We were receiving between N3.5 billion and N4 billion monthly when we assumed office in 2019, but today we receive between N13 billion and N15 billion monthly.
“That has made it possible for us to execute these projects, and we will not relent until the end of our administration in 2027,” Sule said.
The governor also assured the president of the state’s continued support, expressing confidence that the people would reciprocate the administration’s developmental efforts in future elections.
Newsextra24 reports that while in Akwanga, Tinubu also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the 700-kilometre Akwanga-Kaduna-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Superhighway.
