The much expected 470km Abuja–Lagos Superhighway Project, estimated at a total cost of $4bn, will kick off soon. This was revealed today by Dr Kenny Martins, the Chairman of AEC Unity Network Limited at a press briefing held at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. With eclat, he expressed the company’s full readiness to go to site and commence construction as soon as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approves its take-off and the project is flagged off by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
AEC Unity Network Limited is the officially recognised concessionaire for the Abuja–Lagos Superhighway and High-Speed Train projects.
Martins affirmed that preliminary aspects of the project designs, studies and approvals had been concluded with the support and cooperation of advisers, consultants and other stakeholders involved in the project.
Martins, while noting that the road project would be funded through a hybrid of guarantees that “would enable our financiers to have the confidence that their funds will not be in any danger whatsoever,” said the company under his purview had endeavoured to bring the “Financiers, Advisers, and Consultants to this event to demonstrate to everyone our readiness, ability and capability as well as our willingness to execute the project and provide for our country the nearest and best link by road between the Federal Capital, Abuja, and the Economic Capital, Lagos.”
He listed the financiers, advisers and consultants to include United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Futureview Financial Services Ltd, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, G. Elias, First Global Commerce Solution Limited, among others.
He further noted that AEC Unity Network Limited, its advisers, consultants and the Federal Government ministries and parastatals charged with the supervision of the project had done much more work “since the last time that we had a media briefing on our above project.”
“With the support and cooperation of our advisers, consultants and other stakeholders, we can say without being immodest that we have concluded the preliminary aspects of the project designs, studies and approvals, and we are today fully prepared to go to site and commence construction as soon as we receive the Federal Executive Council approval for the project take-off, and the flagging off of the project by the President and Commander-in-Chief.
“We have brought our financiers, advisers and consultants to this event to demonstrate to everyone our readiness, ability and capability as well as our willingness to execute the project and provide for our country the nearest and best link by road between the Federal Capital, Abuja, and the Economic Capital, Lagos,” he said.
Speaking further, Martins said the superhighway, set to be completed in four years, would also facilitate an easier and cheaper means of commuting by road “between the two great cities to the glory of God and the benefit of our countrymen and women.”
According to him, the superhighway will be strategic in several ways, saying that it would not only open up the villages through which it would pass, but also provide a much more convenient alternative for those who were only travelling to any of the states along the route, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Abuja.
He expressed confidence in the financiers, advisers and consultants who had worked with AEC Unity Network Limited to achieve what he described as “this historic milestone.”
“We are very proud of our financiers, advisers and consultants who have worked with our company to achieve this historic milestone,” he said.
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