The Federal Government says the ₦752billion Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway project will be fully completed by November, with the Minister of Works, David Umahi, confirming that a large portion of the road has already been delivered and the outstanding stretch is on track to meet the new deadline.

Speaking on the status of the 375.9-kilometre dual carriageway, Umahi said the first section, covering 118 kilometres between Abuja and Kaduna, has been completed and handed over, while the remaining 164-kilometre stretch running through to Kano is being worked on round the clock to meet the November target.

The minister described the project as one of the administration’s flagship infrastructure undertakings, central to easing transport links between the Federal Capital Territory and Nigeria’s North-West region.

The highway has had a turbulent history. Originally awarded to Julius Berger in 2018 at an initial cost of under ₦156billion with a 36-month completion timeline, the project ballooned in cost over the years and stalled for nearly six years with less than half the work done.

The Federal Government eventually revoked portions of the contract in 2024 over disagreements on pricing and delivery timelines, re-awarding sections of the work to other contractors, including Infiouest International Limited, which has since been handling the outstanding section toward Kano.

President Bola Tinubu formally flagged off the reconstruction in April 2025, with the project subsequently redesigned to use reinforced concrete pavement in place of asphalt, a shift the ministry says will extend the road’s lifespan by decades.

Umahi has repeatedly pointed to the project as evidence of the administration’s infrastructure drive, noting that road projects of this scale directly support economic activity by cutting logistics costs and improving safety for motorists travelling the busy Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano corridor.

He has also used site inspections to press contractors to stick to agreed timelines, warning that the ministry would begin insisting on milestone-based payments rather than relying solely on completion certificates.

With November now set as the new completion date, road users on one of Nigeria’s most heavily trafficked northern corridors are expected to get full relief from the years-long construction delays that have plagued the route.