Works Minister Defends Lagos-Calabar Highway, Renames 750km Road Project After Tinubu

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on Thursday mounted a spirited defence of the Federal Government’s multi-trillion-naira road infrastructure programme, dismissing claims that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is responsible for flooding in Lagos, while unveiling fresh approvals for new federal highways, announcing the recruitment of young engineers for Nigeria’s concrete road revolution and renaming the flagship coastal corridor after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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Addressing journalists in Abuja during a press conference, Sen. Umahi said the Federal Ministry of Works has officially designated the road as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway, describing it as the administration’s biggest legacy infrastructure project and a strategic investment designed to transform Nigeria’s economy for generations. GeographicReference

The Minister disclosed that more than 360 kilometres of the coastal highway are already under construction across several sections, with work progressing simultaneously from Lagos and Calabar.

According to him, Section One stretches 47.47 kilometres from Victoria Island to the Lekki axis as a dual carriageway incorporating a five-metre railway corridor in the median, while Section Two, spanning 55 kilometres from Lekki to the Lagos-Ogun boundary, has attained about 60 per cent completion and is expected to be substantially completed before the end of November.

Sen. Umahi further revealed that Section Three, covering 75 kilometres in Cross River State, has reached about 30 per cent completion, while Section Four, stretching 82 kilometres, is approximately 20 per cent completed.

The Minister added that Section Five, covering about 180 kilometres, has also been awarded and contractors have continued work despite not receiving mobilisation funds.

He said the project includes 19 major bridges and flyovers between Sections One and Two alone, with some bridge spans measuring 80 metres, supported by additional 40-metre and 23-metre spans to accommodate heavy industrial traffic around the Dangote Refinery corridor.

Responding to criticism that the Coastal Highway has worsened flooding in Lagos, Sen. Umahi said technical investigations carried out by officials of the ministry completely disproved the allegation.

He disclosed that a joint inspection conducted on July 4 and 5 established that the highway is acting as a protective barrier against Atlantic Ocean surges rather than causing flooding.

According to the Minister, the real challenge affects communities located on the southern side of the highway, which remain directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean.

Recalling his experience as a young engineer working in Lagos around 2002, Sen. Umahi said Victoria Island was once routinely submerged during heavy rainfall, forcing businesses to shut down and residents to abandon their homes.

He credited President Bola Tinubu, then Governor of Lagos State, initiating the land reclamation project that eventually produced Eko Atlantic City, saying the same engineering expertise is now being deployed on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

The Minister also responded to allegations surrounding the contract award, insisting that the procurement complied fully with the Public Procurement Act.

Umahi explained that Nigerian procurement law recognises three procurement methods open to competitive bidding, restricted tendering and special procurement.

According to Sen. Umahi, the Coastal Highway qualified for special procurement because of the specialised coastal engineering technology required for the project.

He said Hitech Construction Company remains the only indigenous contractor with proven experience in reclaiming land from the Atlantic Ocean and deploying the engineering solutions needed to withstand severe ocean surges.

Sen. Umahi disclosed that during construction, powerful ocean surges threatened sections already completed, but engineers successfully stabilised the highway using the same technology previously deployed at Eko Atlantic.

He added that both the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the procurement process.
The minister further revealed that international financiers independently assessed the project and concluded it represented value for money.

According to him, funding requests for Sections One and Two were oversubscribed by more than $100 million, describing this as strong evidence of global investor confidence in the project.

Beyond the Coastal Highway, Umahi announced fresh approvals for major road projects in Ekiti and Osun states.

He disclosed that the remaining six kilometres of the Ado-Ijan–Ilumoba–Ikole Road in Ekiti State will now be reconstructed using reinforced concrete pavement after inherited portions are completed under existing contracts.

He also announced full approval for the reconstruction of the 26-kilometre Ado-Ekiti–Iyin–Aramoko–Itawure Road, an 12-metre-wide federal highway linking Ekiti and Osun states.

According to the Minister, both projects form part of the Federal Government’s nationwide concrete pavement policy aimed at delivering longer-lasting highways and reducing maintenance costs.

Sen. Umahi said the ministry has commenced the recruitment of young engineers from all 36 states of the federation to participate in ongoing highway projects.

He explained that the initiative is designed to expose Nigerian engineers to modern concrete road construction techniques, facilitate technology transfer and build indigenous construction capacity.

“Our goal is for Nigerian engineers to acquire these skills and eventually develop local companies capable of executing projects of this magnitude,” he said.

The Minister warned that climate change has fundamentally changed infrastructure planning in Nigeria, noting that flooding is no longer restricted to coastal states.

He recalled inspecting flood-damaged highways between Bauchi and Jigawa, where roads were washed away within minutes.

Following presidential directives, he said the affected roads have now been reconstructed with reinforced concrete and elevated above historical flood levels.

Sen. Umahi disclosed that the Federal Government is integrating dams, irrigation systems, renewable energy infrastructure and modern drainage facilities into future road designs to convert floodwaters into productive assets for agriculture and electricity generation.

Works Minister

Abuja-Kaduna and Makurdi highways gather pace
The minister also provided updates on other flagship projects.

He said the first 118-kilometre section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway, valued at ₦252 billion, is progressing steadily, while the second 164-kilometre section, valued at over ₦500 billion, is under reinforced concrete construction.

Upon completion, the entire corridor will feature solar-powered street lighting and extensive tree planting.

Sen. Umahi added that over 80 per cent of the project’s funding has already been released.

He further disclosed that work on the 260-kilometre Makurdi–9th Mile Road, valued at about $959 million, has surpassed 70 per cent completion, while emergency rehabilitation continues on the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

The Minister maintained that the Tinubu administration’s highway programme represents long-term economic investments rather than mere public expenditure, stressing that improved transportation corridors would stimulate commerce, industrialization and regional integration.

“These are legacy projects that will outlive this administration,” Sen. Umahi said. “History will judge them by the value they create for Nigeria and not by the criticisms they attract today.”
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