The Federal Government is targeting the completion of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway within the next three years, Works Minister David Umahi has said, projecting delivery around 2029.
Umahi gave the timeline during a 90-minute interview on Arise Television on Friday, October 23, while defending the administration’s decision to prioritise major infrastructure projects despite concerns about the condition of existing federal roads.
He expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would deliver the project within the projected period, although he did not provide a detailed construction timetable or completion dates for individual sections.
The minister also defended the procurement process, acknowledging that the highway was awarded without public bidding but insisting that direct procurement was lawful.
“There was no public bidding but there was direct procurement. It’s within the law,” he said.
Addressing broader road infrastructure, Umahi said the ministry was currently constructing or reconstructing about 17,000 kilometres of roads out of Nigeria’s approximately 35,000-kilometre federal road network. He added that the administration had completed about 1,700 kilometres of roads since taking office, alongside more than six kilometres of flyovers, bridges and underpasses.
Umahi cited growing congestion along the Lagos corridor, particularly around Lekki, as another reason for the coastal highway, warning that traffic could worsen significantly without intervention.
He also said he was personally funding a proposed initiative involving 4,000 social media influencers to publicise the administration’s projects, describing it as a catalyst for nationwide political campaigning.
The highway remains one of the government’s flagship infrastructure projects, amid continuing debate over its cost, procurement process and competing road rehabilitation needs.
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