Nigeria, June 4 -- For many residents, motorists and traders across the North-east, the announcement sounded familiar. Contracts for the Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri highway had been awarded and re-awarded several times over the years, yet the strategic road remains largely neglected, forcing commuters to endure dangerous and exhausting journeys.

Now, the federal government says it is determined to change that narrative.

The long-awaited reconstruction of the highway was officially flagged off in Gombe on Thursday, with the federal government describing the project as a key component of President Bola Tinubu's infrastructure renewal programme.

The highway, which links Gombe, southern Borno and Maiduguri, has suffered decades of deterioration de...