By Amaka Okafor
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has commended the Federal Government’s ongoing infrastructure drive, particularly the construction of the Abakaliki-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing it as a critical project for regional integration and economic growth.
Leader of the EBID delegation, Mainouna Sidibe, gave the commendation during an inspection tour of the highway project on Thursday in Abakaliki Ebonyi state capital.
She expressed satisfaction with the pace of infrastructure development across Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sidibe pledged the bank’s continued support for strategic projects capable of boosting trade, connectivity, and prosperity among ECOWAS member states. According to her, quality infrastructure remains a key driver of economic transformation and regional cooperation.
The inspection tour also featured a light-hearted moment when the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, jokingly demanded landing, parking, and take-off charges from the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, following the reported emergency landing of a private jet on a federal road under construction in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State.
Speaking during the visit to the Abakaliki-Afikpo-Ndibe Beach Trans-Sahara Highway project, Umahi said he watched a television report about the incident and could not resist commenting on it.
“I was watching Arise TV this morning and saw where they were talking about the plane that landed on the road we are constructing at Ogwashi-Uku in Delta State,” Umahi said. “I don’t blame them nor the pilot for mistaking our concrete roads for runways, but I want to tell my brother, the Honourable Minister of Aviation, to pay us landing, parking and take-off costs for using our road as a runway.”
The minister further attributed the unusual incident to the high quality of the concrete roads being constructed by the Federal Government. “It’s not our fault, neither is it the fault of President Bola Tinubu, that we are building roads that are far stronger than some runways,” he joked.
Continuing in the same vein, Umahi warned that future aircraft operators who choose to use federal highways as runways would be required to pay the appropriate charges. “We want to tell them not to land on our roads again because if they do, they will pay landing and take-off charges,” he added.
Highlighting the significance of the Abakaliki-Afikpo-Ndibe Beach Trans-Sahara Highway, Umahi described it as one of the flagship projects of the Tinubu administration.
He said the road corridor linking Ebonyi and Cross River states through Ndibe Beach and extending toward Benue and Kogi states would unlock vast economic opportunities, strengthen regional trade, and enhance connectivity with neighbouring Cameroon and other parts of West and Central Africa.
 Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) has commended the Federal Government's ongoing infrastructure drive, particularly the construction of the Abakaliki-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing it as a critical project for regional integration and economic growth.){kind=link}