Works Minister,Dave Umahi, on Tuesday came out with clarification on President Bola Ahmed’s directive about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project, saying it had not been realigned.
Umahi spoke at the flag-off of the reconstruction of the 376-kilometre Lambata-Bida-Mokwa-Makera-Kontagora highway in Niger state.
The minister had on Monday said President Bola Tinubu directed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway be rerouted through the existing East-West Road from Ondo into Edo state.
Umahi said the directive was intended to prevent the construction of a new alignment along the corridor.
Quoted Tinubu by the Minister: “Divert, do not do any new alignments. Pass the coastal highway through the existing East-West road”.
He added that the decision was also informed by flooding along the East-West road, particularly around the Ughelli axis in Delta State.
Umahi said the road was constructed before the effects of climate change were adequately anticipated, while recent flooding had raised concerns about its vulnerability.
He said the plan was to raise sections of the East-West road by about two metres above the existing level and anticipated flood levels.
Speaking at the flag-off of the Niger State road project, the Minister said “mischief makers” had given Nigerians the wrong impression about his recent remarks on the coastal highway project.
Clarified he: “The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is 750 kilometres. What the President did is add 400 kilometres so that the entire East-West Road that has been submerged due to climate change will be reconstructed and reintegrated into the Coastal Highway”.
The Minister said design work was ongoing on the Edo, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States sections of the project.
He added that construction was ongoing on section 5 in Akwa-Ibom State, sections 3A and 3B and parts of Cross River State, as well as in Ondo and Ogun States.
Stated Umahi: “There’s no realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal road. What we did was an addition”.
Providing an update on the wider Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, Umahi said section one, a 47.47-kilometre stretch from Victoria Island in Lagos, had been completed and was ready for commissioning.
Read Also:Tinubu Flags Off Reconstruction of Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road, Approves Abeokuta–Ibadan Dualisation
5,000 Fibre cuts during road consruction in H I 2026 -NCC
He said the dual pavement on section two, covering 55 kilometres and terminating at the Lagos-Ogun boundary, was expected to be completed the following month.
The Minister said at the Calabar end, sections 3A and 3B, covering 65 kilometres, had reached more than 30 percent completion.
