Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Every State Now Construction Site Under Tinubu — Umahi

Minister of Works Dave Umahi has said President Bola Tinubu’s administration has turned every state in Nigeria into a construction site, while defending the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway against criticism.

Umahi spoke on Sunday during the launch of repair works on the Eko and Marine bridges and flooded sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The minister challenged critics of the coastal highway to identify any state that had not benefited from ongoing construction projects under the Tinubu administration.

“Let anybody tell me any state that is not a construction site under President Tinubu. I am waiting for a debate on this,” Umahi said.

He also defended the progress of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, dismissing concerns that the project would not extend beyond Epe.

According to him, Lot 1 of the project has been completed, while Lot 2 is more than 80 per cent complete.

Umahi said construction activities were also ongoing in Ondo, Calabar, Akwa Ibom and Ogun states, with other sections of the coastal highway at various stages of development.

He said work had progressed by more than 30 per cent in Calabar and Akwa Ibom, while the largest section, covering 180 kilometres by two lanes, had commenced in Akwa Ibom.

The minister added that the project included a 28-kilometre section in Ogun and a 52-kilometre section in Ondo, with more than 20 per cent of the work completed in the latter.

According to Umahi, sections covering Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states were still being progressed, while a 100-kilometre section in Edo State was undergoing procurement.

He argued that scepticism about the project was understandable given its scale but maintained that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated its willingness to undertake ambitious infrastructure projects.

Umahi also referenced the transformation of the Victoria Island area of Lagos, citing Eko Atlantic as an example of how large-scale infrastructure could reshape the environment.

He said the coastal highway would extend infrastructure development to the Niger Delta and other parts of the country while improving connectivity along Nigeria’s coastline.