Lagos-Calabar Highway: South-South Comrades Pass Vote Of Confidence On Tinubu

Over 1,500 youths, community stakeholders and members of the Community of Comrades South-South have expressed support for President Bola Tinubu over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, following an inspection of the Cross River and Akwa Ibom sections of the road.

The participants, who included student groups and community representatives, gave the endorsement during a guided inspection of Section 3 of the project on Monday, alongside officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (South-South), Hon. Gift Johnbull.

The participants expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the highway, dismissing criticisms of the project as unfounded and urging Nigerians to assess its implementation based on developments at the construction sites.

Speaking during the inspection, Johnbull commended the youth and community groups for visiting the project site to verify progress rather than relying solely on media reports.

She said the Niger Delta region needed the coastal highway to promote trade, commerce and long-term economic development.

“The Niger Delta and the South-South deserve the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to foster trade and commerce, not just now, but for the future,” she said.

Johnbull added that the project reflected the political will needed to address longstanding infrastructure challenges in the region.

She also expressed optimism that the adoption of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) technology would improve road durability in the Niger Delta’s swampy terrain, where conventional roads have historically suffered damage.

The convener of the Community of Comrades South-South, Comrade Joseph-Kelvin Enyam, also condemned what he described as attempts to discredit the project, insisting that construction work was advancing on the Calabar axis.

Providing a technical update, the Controller of Works at the Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. Okuduwa Vincent, said construction was ongoing across 71 kilometres of the project, comprising 41 kilometres in Akwa Ibom State and 30 kilometres in Cross River State.

He disclosed that approximately nine kilometres of Section 3A had reached the final CRCP concrete stage, while the section had recorded an overall completion rate of 18 per cent.

Vincent also said more than 90 per cent of compensation had been paid to affected property owners and communities in Akwa Ibom State.

According to him, the outstanding payments were undergoing processing following minor realignments intended to avoid deep swamp areas.

He further clarified that the highway’s overall 750-kilometre alignment remained unchanged, adding that additional spur connections were planned towards the East-West Road to improve regional connectivity.

The inspection and the participants’ endorsement come amid public debate over the project’s execution, alignment and cost, with supporters arguing that the highway could improve connectivity and economic activity across coastal communities.