12/09/2026
SOKOTO–BADAGRY SUPER HIGHWAY: TURNING A DECADES-OLD VISION INTO REALITY
For decades, the idea of a major highway linking Nigeria’s North-West to the South-West remained largely a vision.
Today, that vision is taking physical shape.
The 1,068-kilometre Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects being pursued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The significance of this project goes far beyond the construction of another road.
It is about connecting markets, opening up agricultural communities, strengthening regional trade, improving mobility and creating a strategic economic corridor between the North and the South.
The highway will run from Illela in Sokoto State, near the Niger Republic border, through Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and Oyo States, before reaching Badagry in Lagos.
And the work is already visible.
In Kebbi State, which hosts the longest stretch of the project at approximately 258 kilometres, construction is progressing with concrete pavement, earthworks, drainage and other major engineering works. As of May 2026, 19 kilometres of concrete pavement had been completed, while Sections 2A and 2B had reached approximately 40% and 16% completion respectively.
In Sokoto State, work is also progressing on a 120-kilometre section from Illela, forming the northern end of this strategic corridor.
What makes the project particularly significant is its design.
The Federal Government says the corridor incorporates concrete pavement technology, CCTV surveillance and street lighting, with the aim of delivering a road that is not only durable, but safer and more economically transformative.
For the North-West, the potential impact is enormous.
Agricultural products such as rice, tomatoes and onions can move more efficiently to markets. Farmers can gain easier access to equipment and commercial centres. Traders can move goods across regions with greater speed, while communities along the corridor can become more connected to wider economic opportunities.
There is also a wider agricultural dimension.
Government officials have linked the corridor to irrigation infrastructure and dams that can support year-round farming and food production, strengthening the economic potential of communities along the route.
This is why the Sokoto–Badagry project matters.
President Tinubu did not simply inherit a road project and leave it on paper. His administration reviewed the design and masterplan, made adjustments, awarded contracts and moved the project into active construction.
The project may take time to complete, but the most important fact is this:
A vision that remained unrealised for decades is now being built on the ground.
From Sokoto to Badagry, Nigeria is building a new economic connection between the North and the South.
The vision was old. The construction is happening now.
Renewed Hope. Building the connections that move Nigeria forward.
