FG Insists Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Will Cover All States, Denies Route Abandonment

The Presidency on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu ordered the abandonment of parts of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to route it through the existing East-West Road.

It insisted that the entire 750-kilometre coastal highway will be constructed as originally planned.

The clarification followed public controversy over the proposed use of the East-West Road corridor in parts of the Niger Delta, with concerns that the decision could leave some states and coastal communities out of the flagship project.

In a statement posted on the Presidency’s official X handle, the government said at no time did the President direct that the 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be discontinued to the East-West Road from Edo State.

Instead, it said the proposed reconstruction of 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, from Edo State to Cross River State, is an additional project to be executed alongside the coastal highway.

“This additional project, which is the reconstruction of East-West Road, is presently below flood level due to climate change and whose pavement is badly damaged, will not affect the complete construction of the entire 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as initially proposed,” the statement said.

The statement, issued following a directive by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, sought to clarify the government’s position amid mounting questions over the route and beneficiaries of the project.

Umahi had earlier said Tinubu directed that the continuation of the coastal highway should use the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta rather than create a new alignment. The comments generated controversy.

The Presidency, however, maintained that the original alignment remains intact and work is progressing on several sections.

It listed ongoing sections to include Sections 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, covering 75 kilometres of dual carriageway; Sections 4A and 4B in Ogun and Ondo States, covering 65 kilometres; and Section Five in Akwa Ibom State, covering 62 kilometres.

It said surveying and design work is continuing on the outstanding portions from the end of the Ondo section through Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states before connecting with Section Five in Akwa Ibom.

“As soon as the survey and design of the remaining sections of the 750km of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway are completed, procurement and construction will commence starting from the end of Ondo axis,” it added.

The Presidency cited the additional route approved for the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri highway to justify its position, noting that Tinubu approved an additional 410-kilometre Wukari-Langtang route under the fourth legacy road project, expanding it from 700km to 1,100km without affecting the original alignment.

“All sections of the legacy projects are ongoing as proposed, and the additional projects will not affect the performance of the original alignment nor will it change it,” the statement said.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is designed to link Lagos with Calabar through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

The controversy intensified after Umahi cited flooding, climate change and the poor condition of the existing East-West Road as reasons for the proposed reconstruction.

The Presidency urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as misinformation about the administration’s commitment to delivering the projects.