Minister of Works Dave Umahi has announced that the federal government is striving to make all federal high roads motorable by Christmas.

Speaking in Akure, Ondo state, on Thursday at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting organized by the Ministry of Works, Umahi disclosed that the administration inherited over 2,000 uncompleted road projects valued in the trillions of naira. He added that contracts with 10 non-compliant companies have already been terminated, with the potential for further terminations.

Emphasizing a commitment to transparency, Umahi stated, “Our books are very much open. We will conclude the design [for Ondo state] within November and inaugurate it.” He also mentioned plans to improve roads across the country, noting that federal road controllers have been instructed to report the conditions of roads in their areas to ensure that by Christmas, all federal highways will be in useable condition.

Umahi pledged government action on Ondo’s Aiyetoro community, which has been grappling with severe sea incursion. “We are coming back after your election to start the Aiyetoro project, which we will construct after this one,” he said, thanking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its dedication to infrastructure and development.

The minister further confirmed that a 63-kilometer section of the Calabar-Lagos coastal highway in Ondo will be inaugurated in December, with construction to begin after the design’s completion next month.