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Tinubu’s Four Legacy Projects Will Link All Six Geopolitical Zones, Says Umahi As ECOWAS Bank Moves To Approve Fund For Calabar-Abuja Super Highway

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Calabar-Abuja Super Highway

Tinubu’s Four Legacy Projects Will Link All Six Geopolitical Zones, Says Umahi As ECOWAS Bank Moves To Approve Fund For Calabar-Abuja Super Highway

The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON, has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s four legacy road projects as a transformative national infrastructure network that will connect all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, unlock economic opportunities, boost food security, and accelerate regional integration.

Umahi stated this on Monday, June 8, 2026, while receiving a delegation from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), led by Maimouna Sidibe, Head of the Basic Infrastructure Division, Department of Public Sector Corporations, at his office in Abuja.

The EBID team is currently undertaking appraisal activities ahead of the approval of financing for Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway, one of President Tinubu’s landmark legacy projects.
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Welcoming the delegation, the Minister explained that the President’s four legacy road projects were deliberately designed to function as an interconnected national transport network.

“Let me say that the entire four Legacy Projects of Mr. President are interconnected in a loop,” Umahi said.

He explained that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway seamlessly links with the Trans-Sahara Super Highway through Ndibe Beach in Cross River State.

According to him, Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway spans 123.64 kilometres and runs from Ndibe Beach to the Benue border, while additional sections through Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa States have already been awarded.

The Minister noted that the historic route has existed since colonial times, serving as a major corridor for trade and agricultural activities.

“It has long existed and remains a major food corridor. It is critical to food sufficiency in our country,” he stated.

Highlighting the economic significance of the project, Umahi said the highway would connect major agricultural belts across the country, including Ebonyi, Benue and Cross River States, while significantly reducing travel time between Calabar and Abuja.

“This route will shorten travel time from Calabar to Abuja to about four hours. It is therefore a very important corridor,” he said.

Beyond transportation, the Minister revealed plans to harness existing dams along the corridor for irrigation and renewable energy generation, creating new opportunities for industrialization, investment and job creation.

“There are many benefits to this project. Beyond tolling and corridor development for investment returns, it will generate numerous jobs, both direct and indirect. There will be factories along the corridor, power projects, and significant traffic volumes on the road,” he added.

Umahi further explained how the Trans-Sahara Super Highway connects to the fourth Legacy Project through the Abuja-Akwanga Road corridor, extending through Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Biu and Maiduguri.

He noted that the recently flagged-off Gombe-Biu section covers 125 kilometres and is being constructed as a six-lane highway, while procurement activities are ongoing for the Bauchi-Gombe section.

He also outlined plans to link the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway through a new route beginning at Victoria Island, traversing a 3.5-kilometre tunnel, Ogogoro Island and Snake Island before connecting to Badagry.

“When you look at all of this on a map, you see a loop. All the geopolitical zones are included,” Umahi said.

“If you start from Sokoto, you can access all six geopolitical zones within two days. It is a remarkable development.”

Commending the contractor handling Section One of the Trans-Sahara Super Highway, Infioues, the Minister disclosed that work has already exceeded 20 percent completion.

“My concern is that we need to fast-track the loan component because once they reach 30 percent completion, payments will become necessary,” he said.

He described the visit of the EBID delegation as timely and praised the bank for its commitment to supporting the strategic project.

“That is why your visit is very timely, and we commend you highly. I also appreciate the meeting we had earlier. It was very fruitful, and I believe we are aligned in terms of enthusiasm and speed of execution.”

Earlier, leader of the EBID mission, Maimouna Sidibe, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting the project, describing it as a priority infrastructure investment.

“We are very honored to contribute to the financing of this very important project, which have been submitted last week to our first credit committee.”

Sidibe disclosed that the project had already received positive consideration from the bank’s first credit committee and had advanced to the appraisal stage.

“The members find this project very important and encourage the department to come to finalize the instruction of the projects.”

She explained that the delegation’s visit included consultations with key government agencies as well as site inspections to assess project implementation, environmental compliance and social safeguards.

Calabar-Abuja Super Highway

Umahi

According to her, the project is expected to proceed to the bank’s second credit committee next week before being presented to the Board of Executive Directors in early July for final approval.

Sidibe commended the Federal Government’s commitment to the project, noting that counterpart funding obligations had already been substantially fulfilled.

“I have to say that the project is of a very top priority for the administration, and that’s why the administration have paid 30 percent of the counterpart money.”

She also praised the quality of work already delivered on the project and expressed confidence in the durability of the road infrastructure.

“The members of the credit committees said that this technology is very, very good and already experienced on Lagos-Calabar, and the road duration will be at least for 50 years.”

The delegation included Mathieu Anno, Head of the Environment and Sustainability Unit at EBID; Onimisi Aliyu, Financial Analyst at EBID; Blaghe Dougah, Head of ESG Department at Sky Capital Europe; and Sheka Humphrey of Influence International, the project contractor.

Francis Nwaze, FIPMD
Senior Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Works (Media)
June 8, 2026
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Anthony Joshua Dedicates Comeback Victory To Friends Killed In Ogun Crash

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua Dedicates Comeback Victory To Friends Killed In Ogun Crash

Nigerian-British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has dedicated his victory over Kristian Prenga to his late friends and trainers, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, after overcoming two knockdowns to secure a second-round knockout win.
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The bout, watched online, marked Joshua’s first fight since a car crash in Ogun State, Nigeria, in December claimed the lives of Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, his personal trainer.

Joshua entered the ring wearing camouflage attire bearing the names of the deceased coaches in their honour.

Speaking after the fight, the former world heavyweight champion described the victory as a tribute to their memory.

“It’s what champions do. We rise, we get knocked down and we stand up and keep going. That’s life.

“It was more than punch power. That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina and their families. It still hurts to talk about it. It’s been tough,” he said.

Joshua, who started the contest as the overwhelming favourite, suffered a dramatic opening round after Prenga knocked him down twice within the first three minutes.

However, the British boxer recovered to dominate the contest, eventually stopping the Albanian in the second round to remain on course for a highly anticipated showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, praised the former champion’s resilience, describing his performance as remarkable given the personal tragedy he had endured.

“To even step into the ring was astonishing,” Hearn said.

He added that Joshua had used his training camp to remain focused while coping with grief, noting that the fighter had shown exceptional determination after being knocked down twice.

Hearn also confirmed that contracts had been been signed for the long-awaited heavyweight clash between Joshua and Fury, although the date and venue have yet to be announced.

Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua

Fury, who defeated 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, did not attend Joshua’s fight as he returned to the Isle of Man after his bout.

“I respect everything he has achieved, but this is the fight we’ve been calling for and now we’re here.

“I hope the fans will enjoy it.

“I’ve learned that I can’t be stopped, I won’t be denied, and we’re coming.” Joshua added.
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Babachir Lawal: Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket Has 70% Chance Of Winning In 2027 election

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Peter Obi

Babachir Lawal: Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket Has 70% Chance Of Winning In 2027 election

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said a joint presidential ticket of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso has a stronger chance of winning the 2027 presidential election than if both politicians had chosen to contest separately.
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Lawal made the remarks during an interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday.

According to him, an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would stand a 70 per cent chance of victory, while he predicted that President Bola Tinubu would have a 50 per cent chance and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar would lose.

“Peter Obi will try to be fair to everybody. Peter Obi will try to do that which is right. Peter Obi, Kwankwaso, take note, I’m pairing them. I’m pairing them. Individually will be disaster, but I’m pairing them.

“So I’ll give them, on my own scale, close to like 70 per cent. Again, Bola, 50. Atiku, zero,” Lawal said.

“Definitely, Atiku will lose. He will, and I pray he loses. I’m not the only one, and he will lose,” he said.

Lawal’s comments come after his fallout with Atiku following his resignation from the African Democratic Congress.

Peter Obi

Obi, Kwankwaso

The former SGF has repeatedly alleged that the ADC presidential primary that produced Atiku as the party’s candidate was marred by widespread irregularities, claims the party has not officially accepted.
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ICPC: Responsible Data Handling Is Inseparable From Our Anti-Corruption Mandate

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ICPC

ICPC: Responsible Data Handling Is Inseparable From Our Anti-Corruption Mandate

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has affirmed that responsible data handling is inseparable from the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate, stressing that public trust depends not only on the Commission’s ability to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences, but also on its capacity to protect personal information entrusted to it.

The Chairman made this known while declaring open a One-Day Sensitization and Awareness Programme on Data Protection and Privacy for officers and staff of the Commission held at the ICPC Headquarters, Abuja.

The programme, themed “Responsible Data Handling: Strengthening Accountability and Preserving Public Trust through Data Protection,” was organised to deepen awareness of responsible data management and strengthen a culture of accountability across the Commission.

Dr. Aliyu, represented by the Director, Legal Services Department, Mr. Henry Emore, noted that the Commission receives, processes, analyses, stores, shares and retains enormous volumes of information in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities, much of which relates to petitioners, suspects, witnesses, complainants, employees, contractors, consultants and members of the public.

According to him, every personal record in the Commission’s custody represents an individual’s dignity, privacy and trust, making it imperative for officers to ensure that such information is handled lawfully, responsibly and securely.

He explained that while data has become one of the most valuable assets in modern governance, enhancing decision-making, service delivery and investigations, its mishandling could expose individuals to harm, compromise investigations, undermine public confidence and damage institutional reputation.

The ICPC Chairman further stated that data protection is no longer the exclusive responsibility of ICT professionals or legal practitioners but has become an essential element of good governance, transparency, accountability and institutional integrity.

Emphasising that responsible data handling is integral to the Commission’s anti-corruption mandate, Dr. Aliyu urged officers to demonstrate integrity in the collection, access, use, disclosure, storage and disposal of personal information, noting that the principles of accountability, fairness, confidentiality and respect for individual rights must guide every aspect of the Commission’s operations.

He disclosed that the Commission has continued to strengthen its internal data protection governance framework through the establishment of the Data Protection and Incident Response Team (DPIRT), comprising officers drawn from various departments and units to identify compliance gaps, promote awareness, improve internal processes, strengthen incident response mechanisms and embed privacy considerations into operational activities.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commission’s Data Protection Officer, Barr. David Nwaze, described the sensitization programme as a strategic initiative designed to reinforce the understanding that data protection is not merely a legal obligation but a professional responsibility and a shared institutional value.

Barr. Nwaze expressed appreciation to the Chairman and the Management of the Commission for their unwavering support towards advancing ICPC’s data protection compliance journey.

ICPC

ICPC

He urged participants to actively engage in the programme, ask questions, share experiences, and apply the knowledge gained in their daily responsibilities, stressing that protecting personal data is fundamental to safeguarding institutional integrity, preserving public confidence, and strengthening accountability within the Commission.

The event featured two paper presentations titled “Responsible Data Handling: Strengthening Accountability and Preserving Public Trust through Data Protection,” delivered by Mr. Inelegwu Egahi, and “The ICPC–NDPC Collaboration: Leveraging ICPC’s Institutional Mandate to Strengthen Data Protection Compliance in the Public Sector,” presented by a Nigeria Data Protection Commission official, Barr. Babatunde Bamigboye.
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