Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor l Journalist at Weng Global
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has inaugurated the newly completed 5.2-kilometre Akwanga-Jos bypass, a road project designed to ease traffic congestion, improve road safety and support economic activity in Akwanga.
The governor inaugurated the bypass on Saturday, September 26, 2026, as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of Nasarawa State. A separate one-kilometre township road in Akwanga Local Government Area was also commissioned.
Bypass designed to reduce congestion
The Akwanga-Jos bypass is expected to provide an alternative route for motorists travelling through the busy Akwanga area, reducing pressure on existing roads and improving movement through the town.
Sule said the project was developed as part of his administration’s broader infrastructure programme aimed at modernising urban roads and improving transportation across the state.
According to reports from the commissioning ceremony, the governor said the original design of the project was upgraded to a full federal-highway standard at an additional cost of less than N1 billion.
He also disclosed plans to add a strategic roundabout and solar-powered streetlights to further improve the functionality and safety of the route.
The project had previously been inspected by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on the Nasarawa Urban Development Board during an assessment of major infrastructure projects across the state. The committee inspected the Akwanga/Jos bypass alongside the Akwanga flyover and underpass and other projects in Akwanga, Keffi, Karu and Lafia.
Governor names bypass after former deputy governor
Sule also rejected proposals by some local stakeholders to name the road after him.
Instead, he named the route the Damishi Luka Bypass, in memory of the late Damishi Luka, a former deputy governor of Nasarawa State.
The governor said public infrastructure constructed with government resources should not be named after a serving governor.
His decision places the project within a broader tradition of naming public infrastructure in honour of individuals who served the state.
Part of wider Akwanga infrastructure development
The bypass is not the only major road intervention undertaken in Akwanga.
In July, President Bola Tinubu, represented by the All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, commissioned a 600-metre underpass and 3.7-kilometre dualised township road network in Akwanga.
The Federal Government also flagged off construction of the 125-kilometre Akwanga-Jos section of the wider Akwanga-Kaduna-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Superhighway during the same July ceremony.
The federal highway project and the state government’s urban road projects are separate infrastructure interventions, although both are expected to improve connectivity around Akwanga.
The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation has identified the dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Road as one of the Federal Government’s major legacy road projects.
Infrastructure and economic activity
Improved road connectivity can have direct consequences for residents, businesses and transport operators by making it easier to move people and goods between communities.
For Akwanga, which serves as an important transportation point in Nasarawa State, reducing congestion could also improve travel times for motorists using routes linking the town with other parts of the state and neighbouring regions.
Earlier reporting on infrastructure development in Akwanga highlighted the government’s broader objective of opening up the metropolis for residential, commercial and industrial development through new roads and bypass routes.
The latest commissioning therefore adds another component to the ongoing transformation of Akwanga’s road network.
Sule promises more road projects
The governor said his administration would continue road construction and rehabilitation across Nasarawa State’s 13 local government areas.
The state government has also announced other road projects aimed at improving connections between rural communities and major urban centres.
Nasarawa Broadcasting Service previously reported that the government was pursuing additional roads, including projects linking communities in different parts of the state.
The administration has also identified rural road development as part of its effort to improve access to markets and basic services.
What happens next
The immediate next steps for the Akwanga bypass include further infrastructure improvements, particularly the planned strategic roundabout and solar streetlights.
The wider road programme will also determine how effectively the bypass integrates with other federal and state roads around Akwanga.
For residents and motorists, the practical significance of the project will depend on how effectively traffic is redirected, how well the road is maintained and how it connects with other major transport corridors.
The inauguration marks the completion of the 5.2-kilometre bypass, but the wider transformation of Akwanga’s transportation network remains linked to several ongoing federal and state infrastructure projects.
Weng Global – Stories beyond borders
Sources
- The Voice Newspapers — report on the commissioning of the 5.2km Akwanga bypass and Governor Sule’s statements.
- New Telegraph — report on the inauguration and the governor’s comments about the bypass.
- Channels Television — report on the July flag-off of the Akwanga-Jos highway and commissioning of Akwanga infrastructure.
- Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation — information on major federal road projects in Nasarawa.
- Nasarawa Broadcasting Service — reports on the state’s wider road development programme.
