By Nkechinyere Ewa
The Federal Government has commenced preparatory work to remove a 60-metre-high mountain obstructing a critical section of the Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe Federal Road, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directs the natural barrier to give way in the interest of safer transportation and economic connectivity across the Southeast.
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, disclosed this on Saturday in Okigwe, Imo State, during an inspection of the 65-kilometre highway project, which is being executed under the Federal Government’s tax-credit scheme, with Dangote Industries Limited as sponsor and Hi-Tech Construction as contractor.
The mountain, according to Umahi, has historically posed a major safety challenge to motorists and contributed to fatal accidents along the corridor.
“This mountain, by the command of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must collapse for the people of South-East,” Umahi said.
He described the section as one of the most technically challenging portions of the project, stressing that removing the mountain would represent a significant infrastructure breakthrough and help reduce loss of lives on the route.
“This place is very challenging. We have a mountain that is over 60 metres high. If God helps us in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to achieve this, this will be a major saving of lives for the people of South-East. This place has consumed many lives,” he said.
A road with economic implications
The Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe highway is more than a transport link between communities. It is a strategic arterial route connecting parts of Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states and providing links to adjoining federal highways.
Improved access along the corridor could reduce travel time and vehicle operating costs while strengthening the movement of agricultural produce, manufactured goods and other commodities across the three states.
For businesses, particularly those dependent on road transportation, improved connectivity can lower logistics costs and expand access to markets.
The Project Controller, Engineer Maxwell Oko, said the F112 project comprises 9.9 kilometres of dual carriageway and 55.55 kilometres of single carriageway.
According to him, the road is being delivered under the tax-credit arrangement, with Dangote Industries Limited sponsoring the project and Hi-Tech Construction executing the work.
Umahi said more than 20 kilometres of the road had already been completed, while commending the contractor for the quality of construction.
He particularly praised the concrete pavement being deployed, describing it as superior to what was obtainable on some other major Federal Government highway projects.
Excavators move in
At the mountainous section, construction is now entering a more technically demanding phase.
Christopher Aucamp, Managing Director of Hi-Tech Construction, said preparatory operations had commenced ahead of intensive excavation and earthworks.
“This is the mountain we’ve been talking about. This is the mountain where we have to do the realisation of the nine kilometres. As you can see, we are busy with progress on it,” Aucamp said.
He disclosed that three excavators would be deployed to accelerate the removal and reshaping of the mountain.
“We bring three excavators down so we can start demolishing the mountain and start filling the full areas to straighten the road out a little bit,” he added.
The contractor is also constructing a second bypass to ensure safer movement for students and other road users while construction continues around the mountain section.
Beyond road construction
The Federal Government sees the project as part of a broader effort to strengthen infrastructure and economic integration in the Southeast.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, Southeast, Barrister Chioma Nweze, said the highway would strengthen connectivity, open up communities and markets and stimulate commercial activities across the affected states.
She listed the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-Abakaliki, Abakaliki Trans-Sahara and Onitsha-Owerri roads among other Federal Government projects ongoing in the region.
The projects, she said, underscored the Tinubu administration’s commitment to addressing infrastructure gaps and integrating the Southeast more firmly into the national economy.
For the Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe corridor, the potential benefits extend beyond the immediate road users.
The route links communities and markets across three states, meaning its completion could improve the movement of people and goods while creating stronger commercial links between previously difficult-to-reach locations.
But the long-term economic value of the road will depend not only on its completion but also on regular maintenance, effective security and complementary infrastructure.
For now, the Federal Government’s decision to take on the 60-metre mountain marks one of the most ambitious engineering interventions on the corridor.
If completed successfully, what currently stands as a physical obstacle could become a symbol of improved connectivity — shortening journeys, reducing road-related risks and potentially opening new commercial opportunities across the Southeast.