President Bola Tinubu has flagged off the reconstruction and dualisation of the 401-kilometre Lambata–Bida–Mokwa–Makera–Kontagora Road in Niger State, in a major infrastructure project expected to boost connectivity, trade and economic activities across the region.
Director, Information and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Works, Mohammed Ahmed disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
The project, valued at ₦1.83 trillion, was officially flagged off by Niger State Governor, Farmer Mohammed Bago, on behalf of the President in Bida on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Bago described the project as a significant milestone in improving transportation and renewing the hope of residents and motorists who depend on the road.
The governor thanked Tinubu for prioritising infrastructure development and pledged to mobilise support for his re-election, expressing confidence in the administration’s commitment to delivering projects that would improve the lives of Nigerians.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, said the Federal Government had initiated approximately 5,500 kilometres of road projects across the North-Central zone, with Niger State accounting for more than 1,000 kilometres. He attributed the increased infrastructure investment to the fiscal space created by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Umahi disclosed that the Lambata–Bida–Mokwa–Makera–Kontagora Road was being financed by the Dangote Group through the Federal Government’s tax-credit financing model. He said the project would employ continuously reinforced concrete pavement technology designed to provide a durable and climate-resilient road surface.
The Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, also highlighted the Federal Government’s intervention on the failed Dikko Junction–Maje Road. He said President Tinubu had approved immediate palliative works on the seven-kilometre corridor, addressing a problem that had troubled motorists and host communities for about a decade.
Similarly, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, said the administration remained committed to accelerating infrastructure development, economic recovery and agricultural transformation. He stressed the importance of transparency in implementing government programmes and expressed optimism about continued cooperation between the Federal and Niger State governments.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, described the project as a deliberate policy decision to expand infrastructure nationwide, while the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, said the highway would strengthen connections between northern and southern Nigeria. Both lawmakers pledged adequate legislative oversight to ensure effective execution.
Providing details of the project, the Director of Highways, Construction and Rehabilitation, David Yiltong, said the road would run from Lambata through Bida, Mokwa and Makera to Kontagora. He explained that the dualisation would improve security, ease the movement of people and goods, expand access to markets and agricultural communities, and stimulate commercial activities along the corridor.
Representing the Dangote Group, Mansur Ahmed reaffirmed the company’s commitment to infrastructure development, saying the project would create jobs, open up communities and expand economic opportunities. The Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, and other stakeholders welcomed the initiative, expressing hope that its timely completion would ease transportation difficulties and improve the welfare of communities along the route.
