Niger Delta infrastructure costs higher due to terrain — Minister

ABUJA — The Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, has said infrastructure projects in the Niger Delta are more expensive than those in northern Nigeria because of the region’s difficult terrain and environmental conditions.

Momoh stated this in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while speaking at the 27th Convention of the Ethiopian Association of Civil Engineers, themed, “Building Africa 2050: Engineering Resilient, Sustainable, and Smart Infrastructure.”

He said Nigeria’s infrastructure development spanned coastal wetlands, river basins, erosion-prone communities, arid zones and rapidly expanding cities, requiring engineering solutions tailored to local conditions.

“The engineering solution suitable for the dry northern corridor may be wholly inadequate in the saturated soils and tidal environment of the Niger Delta,” he said.

According to him, roads and bridges in the Niger Delta often have to cross creeks, swamps and unstable soils, while construction materials and equipment sometimes have to be transported through narrow waterways.

“A project that appears straightforward on paper can become considerably more expensive once geotechnical conditions, community access and environmental safeguards are fully understood,” Momoh said.

He, however, stressed that such projects remained essential to connecting isolated communities to schools, healthcare facilities, markets and investment opportunities.

“This is where engineering concept and design matters a lot in preparing projects for execution,” he said.

Climate change raises infrastructure risks

The minister said climate change had altered the assumptions on which much of Nigeria’s infrastructure was designed, citing the severe floods of 2012 and 2022, which affected communities across the country.

According to him, the floods damaged power installations, roads and bridges, disrupted transportation and livelihoods, and exposed weaknesses in drainage, floodplain management and emergency access.

He said rising water levels, shoreline erosion and saline intrusion threatened settlements and transport infrastructure in coastal communities, while higher temperatures, drought and desertification placed additional pressure on water, agriculture and energy systems in northern Nigeria.

Momoh also identified fragmented planning, land acquisition disputes, utility relocation, lengthy procurement processes and weak coordination among the different levels of government as factors delaying infrastructure projects.

He said inflation and foreign exchange pressures had increased the cost of imported machinery and specialised inputs, while insecurity in some areas had disrupted construction and raised project costs.

“Too often, limited maintenance converts a manageable defect into expensive reconstruction,” he said.

The minister also noted that rapid urbanisation was placing additional pressure on public infrastructure, with roads becoming drainage channels during intense rainfall, housing developments appearing on natural waterways and transport systems becoming overwhelmed.

He warned that smart infrastructure could not be achieved merely by adding sensors to poorly planned systems.

“It begins with integrated land-use planning, reliable data, enforceable standards and clear institutional responsibility,” he said.

FG promotes CNG, electric mobility

Momoh said the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was treating infrastructure, energy security, economic reform and sustainable development as mutually reinforcing priorities.

He said the Climate Change Act 2021 had established a legal and policy framework for low-carbon and climate-resilient development, while the Energy Transition Plan provided a pathway towards net-zero emissions by 2060.

According to him, the transition must also expand energy access, support industrialisation and create jobs.

He said the government was changing the transport-energy mix through the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which he said was accelerating the deployment of CNG conversion centres, vehicles, equipment and refuelling infrastructure across the country.

Momoh added that the initiative’s mandate was expanded in March 2026 to include electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and related investments.

“This will tremendously reduce exposure to petrol-price volatility, make public transport more affordable, stimulate local vehicle assembly and component manufacturing, and create new technical jobs,” he said.

He stressed, however, that CNG and electric mobility required complete engineering systems rather than isolated vehicles.

Momoh said CNG deployment depended on safety standards, reliable gas distribution, certified conversion, trained technicians and strategically located refuelling facilities.

Electric mobility, he added, required reliable power, interoperable charging systems, battery standards, recycling systems and appropriate urban transport planning.

Momoh cites Lagos-Calabar highway

The minister said the government was placing greater emphasis on durability and whole-life value in road construction.

He cited the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as an example of the ambition and complexity of Nigeria’s infrastructure plans.

According to him, the project must respond to difficult coastal conditions, protect communities and ecosystems, manage flood risks and mobilise long-term financing.

Momoh said public-private partnerships and innovative financing would be necessary because public budgets alone could not meet Nigeria’s infrastructure needs.

“Private finance will only enter at scale where projects are properly prepared, risks are allocated fairly, procurement is credible, tariffs or revenue models are realistic, and contracts are honoured,” he said.

He described the Keffi-Makurdi Road, which forms part of the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia-Makurdi Highway, as an example of a public-private partnership road project under the Federal Government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative.

The minister said regional development institutions must align regional projects with national policy, improve project preparation, avoid duplication, strengthen monitoring and ensure that infrastructure reflected the economic and environmental characteristics of each region.

He urged African countries to design infrastructure for future climate conditions rather than relying solely on historical weather data.

“Resilience must be built into feasibility studies, procurement documents and asset-management plans, rather than added after disaster strikes,” he said.

Momoh also called for maintenance to be treated as an integral part of infrastructure development.

He said every major infrastructure asset should have a funded maintenance plan, clear ownership, condition monitoring and performance indicators.

He urged African countries to adopt digital technologies, including building information modelling, geographic information systems, remote sensing, drones, digital twins, smart meters and predictive maintenance.

He noted, however, that such technologies must be supported by skilled personnel, cybersecurity, data governance and institutions capable of acting on the information generated.

Minister seeks stronger African value chains

Momoh called for stronger African value chains in construction materials, cables, meters, charging equipment, public transport vehicles and renewable energy components.

“Our continent should not remain merely a market for imported engineering systems,” he said.

He also urged African countries to develop cross-border infrastructure, including interconnected power pools, transport corridors, fibre networks, logistics systems and water-management arrangements.

Momoh said the African Continental Free Trade Area could not achieve its full potential if goods remained trapped behind weak ports, damaged transport corridors and incompatible standards.

He called on professional engineering bodies to uphold standards, ethics and competence, support continuous professional development, mentor younger engineers and communicate risks clearly to policymakers and the public.

The minister said Nigeria was ready to deepen cooperation with Ethiopia and other African countries in transport corridors, hydropower, renewable energy, urban development, regional institutions, geotechnical engineering, digital project management and professional accreditation.

He said the true measure of African infrastructure by 2050 would not be the number of kilometres announced or the size of contracts awarded.

“It will be whether a farmer can reach a market after heavy rain; whether a coastal road remains safe as the climate changes; whether a growing city can move people efficiently; whether reliable power reaches homes and factories; and whether every project expands opportunity without imposing an unsustainable burden on the next generation,” he said.