By Abiola Olawale
Minister of Works David Umahi has announced that the first 30 kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be completed and ready for commissioning by May 2025.
This announcement comes after the Federal government unveiled the commencement of an ambitious 700-kilometre infrastructure project, which aims to connect Lagos to Calabar, spanning nine states along Nigeria’s coastline.
Umahi, giving an update during a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on February 23, 2025, said the project is making progress despite initial challenges.
The Minister mentioned that the first 30 kilometres of this phase, part of Section 1, are on track for completion within the next three months, aligning with the government’s commitment to delivering tangible infrastructure improvements.
Umahi further revealed that a 10-kilometre section would require extensive work due to years of refuse dumping, which compromised the soil.
He explained that the team excavated up to 10 meters deep, refilled the area with sand, and allowed time for settlement, ensuring a stable foundation for the highway.
He stated: “We had the responsibility of excavating up to 10 meters, and they sand filled back to existing ground level, and of course, take it up to the design level, and then that needed settlement. So we came together with the contractor and agreed that there should be no immediate work there.
“But today I’m happy we went through again. We conducted tests. Settlement is being achieved 100 percent and we are on the move.
“So what we could do by May is that we have agreed with the contractor and is going to affirm it magically, to have the first 20 kilometres seamlessly from Chennai zero down to Chennai 20 ready for Mr President to the commission in May, and another 10 kilometres from Eleko junction coming towards Chennai 37 ready for commissioning.”
He added: “That is 30 kilometres in section one, and then we will be left with about 17 kilometres. But the good news is that all sand filling is being done up to Eleko junction.”
Addressing concerns over property demolitions, he said only one building remains on the path of construction and negotiations with the owner have been concluded.
“What I directed is that let work continue and stop at his fence, then work will also continue at the other side of his fence, so his house is standing in the middle of the road. So we have discussed, and I believe strongly, that we understood ourselves,” he said.
In section two, Umahi highlighted the integration of the Lekki Free Zone into the project, adding that the highway would pass in front of the Dangote refinery, necessitating the construction of an 80-meter span bridge to facilitate seamless truck movement.
The minister also announced that construction contracts for section three, totalling 65 kilometres, have been awarded and will be flagged off in the coming weeks.
“We have awarded section three, three A in Cross River, three B in Akwa Ibom and that is a total of 65 kilometres by two. By next week, or upper week, we go there to officially have it flagged off for construction,” he said.
“For the sections of Ondo, the section of Delta, the section of Port Harcourt, the continuous section in Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, we are confronted with a lot of bridges, some as long as three kilometres. We don’t want to do that. That is going to cost us a fortune”.
