FG flags off ₦1.8tn Niger highway to boost trade, agriculture
The federal government has flagged off the ₦1.8 trillion reconstruction and dualisation of the Lambata–Bida–Mokwa–Makera–Kontagora highway in Niger State, targeting improved agricultural production, trade and job creation.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the project would connect farming communities to markets, ease the movement of goods and open up economic opportunities across Niger State and neighbouring areas.
Idris spoke on Tuesday in Bida at the flag-off ceremony, where he represented members of the Federal Executive Council.
He described the highway as a major investment in the economy, saying improved road connectivity would link farmers to consumers and enable businesses to reach wider markets.
“Today, we do more than flag off the construction of a road. We are opening a gateway to opportunity. We are connecting communities to markets, farmers to consumers, businesses to customers and our people to a more prosperous future,” he said.
The minister said the project reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to infrastructure development under the Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that investments in road construction were intended to expand economic opportunities and improve living standards.
“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has shown, through projects of this magnitude, that the Renewed Hope Agenda is not merely a statement of aspiration. It is a programme of concrete investments designed to expand economic opportunities, improve the quality of life of our citizens and lay the foundations for lasting national development,” Idris said.
He added that the project would provide employment during construction and create longer-term opportunities for transport operators, small businesses, young people and entrepreneurs.
