N96bn Akure-Ado Road: Ojudu Demands Answers as Nigerians Ask When ‘Ongoing’ Will Finally Mean Finished

Former Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Babafemi Ojudu, has demanded urgent explanations from the Federal Government over the fate of the multibillion-naira Akure-Ado-Ekiti dual carriageway project. His question is simple enough: what exactly is happening to a road that has swallowed enormous public resources and still leaves motorists wondering whether they are travelling on a highway or participating in an endurance competition?

Ojudu’s intervention is important because the Akure-Ado corridor is not merely another road project on a government spreadsheet. It connects Ondo and Ekiti, serves commuters, traders and businesses, and has for years been associated with bad sections, traffic delays and safety concerns. The Federal Government’s own records show that the road was restructured into major sections, with the total project value rising to roughly ₦95.8 billion.

Ojudu: From ₦22bn Road Promise to Nearly ₦96bn Question

The project has a history long enough to qualify for its own documentary. In 2020, the dualisation was awarded to Dantata & Sawoe for about ₦22 billion, but residents later protested over alleged abandonment and slow mobilisation. By 2022, the Federal Government said it had not abandoned the project and that contractual issues were being addressed.

Then came the bigger number. Federal records show that the revised dualisation was approved at about ₦95.8 billion, with approximately ₦46.6 billion allocated to the Ondo section and ₦49.2 billion to the Ekiti section. The project therefore moved from a ₦22 billion controversy into the territory of a nearly ₦96 billion public-investment question—meaning Nigerians now have every right to ask not only where the road is going, but where the money and promised completion milestones are going too.

Government Says Work Is Moving, But Questions Remain

There is evidence that the project has not simply disappeared into the famous Nigerian government cupboard labelled “coming soon.” The Federal Ministry of Works said in March 2025 that its minister inspected ongoing work on the Akure-Ita Ogbolu-Iju-Ekiti border section being handled by Samchase Nigeria Limited and generally applauded the contractor while requesting some adjustments.

Ekiti officials have also said progress is being made, with Governor Biodun Oyebanji stating that the Ado-Ikere-Iju-Itaogbolu-Akure road was expected to be completed and commissioned by the first quarter of 2026. Earlier ministry records, however, showed very low completion percentages on parts of the project, while motorists continued to complain about delays and difficult journeys. That is precisely why Ojudu’s demand deserves attention: when billions have been committed and deadlines announced, the public should be able to see measurable results rather than surviving on another round of reassuring sentences.

The Akure-Ado story has therefore become bigger than potholes and construction equipment. It is now a test of accountability, project monitoring and the government’s ability to turn budget figures into infrastructure that Nigerians can actually use. Watch out for further developments, as OGM News NG continues to follow the questions surrounding the ₦96 billion road project and the government’s response.