The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a downward review of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road rehabilitation project, reducing the cost to N740.79 billion.
Julius Berger will continue handling the project under the revised scope, which now includes the installation of solar-powered streetlights and a 14-month deadline for completion.
This decision was a key outcome of the FEC meeting held on Monday in Abuja, presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
The announcement was made via a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President.
“The council approved the rescoping and downward review of the contract to rehabilitate the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway at a lower cost of N740.79 billion. Julius Berger’s job now has a completion period of 14 months and includes the provision of solar lights,” the statement read in part.
The downward review is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to optimize resources while ensuring the project’s goal of enhancing road safety and infrastructure is met. The addition of solar-powered streetlights will improve visibility and security along the route, particularly at night.
The Federal Government, under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, approved the reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway in 2017, with work commencing in May 2018.
Julius Berger was awarded the contract to execute the project, which connects Abuja, Niger, Kaduna, and Kano states, and is expected to improve the transportation of agricultural produce from the North to other parts of Nigeria.
By January 2021, the then-Minister of Works, Babatunde Fashola, reported significant progress and projected that the project would be completed before the end of the Buhari administration. However, this timeline was unmet, and the road remained incomplete when the administration ended in 2023.
By late 2023, the new Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, disclosed that the previous administration had accumulated a debt of N1.5 trillion on ongoing road projects, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano reconstruction.
In early 2024, additional funds were allocated to the project, with the Minister confirming that N17 billion had been released, and another N33 billion was in the pipeline to keep the project adequately funded.
In August 2024, during a meeting with Julius Berger representatives, the Federal Government committed N20 billion monthly for the completion of the dualization of an 82-kilometre section on each carriageway, totaling 164 kilometres, of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway, with a target completion timeline of 14 months.
The Works Minister had also instructed Julius Berger to complete one carriageway at a time and to fill and level both sides with a stone base within three weeks to reduce the challenges faced by road users during construction.