Kogi-born political activist, Comrade Usman Okai Austin, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend the urgency and funding commitment accorded to the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway to the long-abandoned and dilapidated Lokoja-Abuja highway.
Okai, who made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Anyigba, Kogi State, described the slow pace of work on the critical highway as alarming, accusing the Federal Government of awarding sections of the project to contractors allegedly lacking the technical capacity to deliver.
He urged President Tinubu to direct the Minister of Works to reassign the contracts to reputable and well-equipped construction companies, while ensuring consistent funding and effective supervision to accelerate completion.
“Commuters are suffering. People are spending nights trapped between Lokoja and Abuja, yet this is the major artery connecting the Federal Capital Territory to the southern part of the country,” Okai said.
The activist noted that the approximately 200-kilometre Lokoja-Abuja highway, which serves as a major link between Northern Nigeria and the South-West, South-East and South-South regions, was initially awarded in 2006 towards the end of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
According to him, the project, which was divided into several sections at an initial cost of about N42 billion, was expected to be completed within 30 months but has remained a source of concern for motorists and other road users nearly two decades after its commencement.
He said the highway had suffered repeated setbacks under successive administrations of former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, characterised by contract reviews, cost variations and funding challenges.
Okai acknowledged interventions by the Tinubu administration in late 2025 and early 2026, including the termination of contracts awarded to underperforming contractors and the reassignment of some sections to new firms, notably Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in March 2026.
However, he expressed disappointment that the expected improvement in construction activities had yet to translate into visible progress on the affected sections of the highway.
“Unfortunately, there is no sign of Julius Berger on that stretch. Instead, the unknown contractors are still there doing nothing, claiming poor funding,” the activist said.
“Whatever the case may be, it is time for decisive action because Nigerians are going through hell on that road daily.”
He further called on the Minister of Works to elevate the Lokoja-Abuja highway to a top national priority, stressing that the persistent deterioration of the road had continued to expose travellers to avoidable hardship, prolonged journeys and safety concerns.
Okai maintained that the Federal Government must demonstrate greater political will, ensure adequate financing and engage competent construction firms to bring an end to the prolonged suffering of motorists plying the strategic corridor.