KARIMI HAILS TINUBU ON ABUJA-LOKOJA ROAD, APPEALS FOR OTHER CRITICAL ROADS
The expedited re-award of sections of the Abuja-Lokoja federal highway totalling 86 kilometres by the federal government just weeks after the initial contract was terminated has been hailed by the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial Zone, Sunday Steve Karimi.
Works Minister, Dave Umahi, had during a press conference in Abuja on Monday November 25, 2025, announced the decision of government to determine the contracts for poor performance and failure to meet delivery timelines and performance benchmarks.
The contractors so disengaged include Sadogi Nig Ltd; Venus Construction Ltd; Gold/Triacta Nig Ltd, and Transcrete Solutions Ltd.
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At the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday March 4, 2026, presided over by President Bola Tinubu, however, the same project was one of the six major road contracts re-awarded by government.
They include the 71-kilometre Suleja-Minna Road; the Carter Bridge in Lagos; the 132-kilometre Kano-Kangolam Road; the 103-kilometre Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha Road and the second phase of the Keffi-Nasarawa-Abaji road, a 129-kilometre stretch.
All the projects will be wide, concrete carriageways, estimated at a total cost of N1.2Trillion.
Karimi commended the President for his courage and promptitude in decision-making on matters pertaining to the wellbeing of the people. Said Karimi:
“The non-performing Abuja-Lokoja road contracts were cancelled barely four months ago.
And the President in his sensitivity to the plight of the commuting public and the imperative for seamless socioeconomic movement on our roadways has prioritised the re-award of the all-important artery within such a short time.
This is tangible evidence that President Tinubu is a responsive and proactive leader who desires to impact Nigerians expeditiously.”
According to Karimi, that the President assented to having multiple contractors handle various segments of the project is proof of his desire for quick completion of the road which has effectively been under construction since the twilight of the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Senator Karimi who chairs the Senate Committee on Services applauded President Tinubu for his uncommon courageous oil sector reforms calculated to make additional resources available for national development.
He spoke against the backdrop of the recent “Executive Order on Direct Remittances, (E09),” which was signed a few weeks ago. The Order mandates that “all government revenues from tax oil, profit oil, royalty oil and gas flaring penalties, previously subject to deductions, be paid directly to the Federation Account.”
The reform explicitly halts the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd, (NNPCL), from deducting a 30% management fee on profit oil and gas, as well as the 30% Frontier Exploration Fund, (FEF), under Production Sharing Contracts, (PSCs).
By stripping the NNPCL of its role as de facto fiscal gatekeeper, the policy aims to end decades of opaque deductions that reduced available revenue for the federation. President Tinubu’s foresighted reform directly addresses “cost of collection” leakages, compelling agencies like the Federal Inland Revenue Service, (FIRS); the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, (NUPRC), and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), to stop deducting or reducing such costs before remittances.
As at July 2025, reforms initiated by the President boosted monthly allocations to the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and the 774 local governments by over N2Trillion.
Karimi expressed the hope that funds which will further boost the nation’s purse will enable the President and the federal government embark on more enduring projects in the overall interest of Nigerians.
His words: “Mr President needs resources for the East-West Road; the Abuja-Lokoja-Benin Road; the Benin-Sapele-Warri Road; the Kabba-Isanlu-Egbe-Ilorin Road; the Kabba-Iyara-Omuo Ekiti Road; the Aiyetoro Gbedde- Aiyegunle Gbedde-Kupa-Eggan Road, among others. Accruals from the most recent “Executive Order on Direct Remittances,” in my view will strengthen the hands of Mr President to embark on these projects. Seamless intra-country movement on motorable roads will complement Mr President’s efforts on security, sending a direct warning to criminals that government will get them wherever they hide.”
Toye Ibitoye
Legal Assistant to Senator Sunday Karimi
Representing Kogi West Senatorial Zone
Chairman, Senate Committee on Services
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, MARCH 6TH 2026)
