- Wasiu Adekunle Adejumo | Premier World News
A member of the House of Representatives representing Yewa North/Imeko-Afon Federal Constituency of Ogun State, Hon. Gboyega Isiaka (GNI), has described the ongoing Badagry-Sokoto Superhighway as a transformative infrastructure project capable of unlocking long-stalled economic potential across Nigeria’s border communities and repositioning the South-West as a strategic hub for trade and industry.
Isiaka, who chairs the House Committee on National Planning and Economic Development, said the superhighway’s passage through Owode-Afon in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area represents a significant economic boost for border towns that have historically remained on the fringes of national development planning.
The 1,068-kilometre Badagry–Sokoto Superhighway, which stretches from Illela in Sokoto State to Badagry in Lagos, cuts across seven states, effectively linking the North-West and South-West and creating a vital corridor between agricultural belts, border communities and coastal trade routes.
Commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for initiating the project, Isiaka described the road as a strategic economic spine designed to connect coastal commerce in Badagry with the vast agricultural and trade zones of northern Nigeria.
According to him, the project signals a deliberate policy shift by the Federal Government to deploy infrastructure as a tool for economic expansion, regional integration and inclusive growth.
Isiaka made the remarks on the sidelines of a formal reception of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders, including Lisa Adejobi and Mujjidat Balogun, into the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area.
Reflecting on his recent inspection of the project, the lawmaker said communities along the corridor stand to benefit significantly from improved connectivity, reduced transportation costs and increased investment opportunities.
“On my way to Imeko today, I took a careful look at the stretch of the Badagry–Sokoto Road under construction. What is unfolding there is a landmark project. For years, communities along this axis have lived at the margins of opportunity”, Isiaka said.
He added that the road would strengthen food supply chains, enhance access to markets, and create room for agro-processing, logistics and light manufacturing across the region.
“This project brings us into the centre of national economic thinking. It opens access to markets, reduces transport costs, strengthens food supply chains and creates room for agro-processing, logistics and light manufacturing”, he noted.
Isiaka further stressed that the highway aligns with Nigeria’s broader regional trade ambitions, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
“For me, this road is a planning instrument. Infrastructure of this nature shapes settlement patterns, investment decisions and industrial clusters. When you connect production zones to ports and borders efficiently, you stimulate growth that is broad-based and durable”, he said.
He expressed optimism that the Badagry-Sokoto Superhighway would reposition Ogun State’s border communities as active contributors to national and regional commerce once completed.
