Sokoto Gov’t donates 10 Hilux vehicles to Army to secure Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway
Sokoto Gov’t donates 10 Hilux vehicles to Army to secure Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway 
From Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto
The Sokoto State Government has donated ten Hilux operational vehicles to the 8 Division, Nigerian Army, in aid of the ongoing construction of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The vehicles were commissioned and formally handed over on Thursday in Sokoto at a ceremony graced by the Minister of State for Works, Barrister Bello Muhammad Goronyo, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.
Speaking at the ceremony, Barrister Goronyo said the ten operational vehicles were donated by the Governor of Sokoto State, Dr Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, to support military personnel and the security architecture for the highway project.
He described the donation as another milestone in the actualization of President Tinubu’s noble objective of providing critical infrastructure for Nigeria, particularly the four legacy projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This very important arterial road corridor is a stretch of about 1,068 kilometres and is going to criss-cross Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.
” It is going to link to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a span of about 750 kilometres, and it will link to the Trans-Saharan route which will begin from Esso in Calabar all the way to Benue and other corridors to Akwanga, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and beyond,” he said.
Barrister Goronyo added that the superhighway is a deliberate attempt to ensure that Nigeria’s infrastructure is built for prosperity, as it will be constructed on continuously reinforced concrete that will outlive the present generation for 50 years or more.
According to him, infrastructure development will add to the Gross Domestic Product of the nation, apart from providing safer travels and facilitating the evacuation of agricultural produce.
He commended Gov. Ahmad Aliyu for the timely intervention and for demonstrating true partnership with the Federal Government in delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Responding, the GOC, 8 Div, Maj.-Gen.Bemgha Koughna, who spoke on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, commended Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto the invaluable gesture, assuring that the vehicles would be put to be better use to diligently protect the Superhighway project.
According to him, there are 17 independent deployments and routine patrols along the road corridor, saying, ” the vehicles will be of immense benefit towards further securing the project.
He applauded Gov. Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto for his sustained moral and financial support to the security forces, stating that the gesture would spur them to roundly protect the all-important national asset as well as safeguarding the lives and properties of all the law-abiding citizens of Nigeria.
