The federal government says the Benue-Kogi-Enugu highway construction will be completed by February 2028. Speaking on Friday during an inspection of the project with journalists and the presidential media team, Mukaila Danlandi, federal controller of works in Benue, said the 250-kilometre road links the north-central and south-east. “For ease of construction, the project is divided into five sections. We have sections one, two, three, four, and five. Four and five fall in Enugu state, while one, two, three fall in Benue state,” Danladi said. “There is a slow pace of work due to the rainy season. We call it unfavourable weather conditions in construction because some activities cannot be carried out during the rainy season. That notwithstanding, we are still working. A lot of hydraulic structures are ongoing along the alignment.” Tijani Olalekan, a representative of China Harbour Construction Company, the contractor handling the project, also confirmed that the work is expected to be completed in February 2028. “It’s a dual carriageway, traversing four states. So far, we have covered 86 kilometres of binder cord on both sides of the road, and we are also working on the hydraulic structure due to the rainy season, as we couldn’t complete some earthworks properly. “The completion period is the 48th month. So that means 1st of February 2028. That’s the completion period.” Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done on the road. “Well, so far, the quality is very impressive. And if they do this all the way down to Enugu state, I think it will be a road that will last very long,” Onanuga said. “Even though we have not even completed this road, it has shortened the travel time between Makurdi and Otukpo. I learned the road from Makurdi to Otukpo was so bad. It used to take about three hours, but now it’s just about one and a half hours or so.” Onanuga said the project is commendable and deserves “a lot of applause for touching almost every part of Nigeria”.