This New Nigerian Highway Is Insanely Ambitious

Nigeria Is Building a Highway Across an Entire Nation The Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway is Nigeria's longest road project ever — 1,068km of reinforced concrete running through 7 states, from the Sahara's edge at Illela to the Atlantic coast at Badagry. First conceived in 1979 under President Shehu Shagari, the highway was abandoned for 47 years before construction finally began in October 2024. Today, crews are pouring 20cm-thick concrete pavement designed to last 100 years — complete with solar-powered streetlights, CCTV, and dozens of planned dams to irrigate farmland along the route. But the project faces enormous questions: trillion-naira contracts awarded without competitive bidding, a $516 million Deutsche Bank loan, and a route that passes through one of Nigeria's most insecure regions, where farmers can't safely reach their own fields. In this documentary, we break down how Nigeria is building a highway across an entire nation — the engineering, the money, the controversy, and the stakes. 🎬 Subscribe for more documentaries on the megaprojects reshaping Africa — told from the continent, with the facts checked. #Nigeria #Infrastructure #Megaprojects #SokotoBadagry #Africa