Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Presidency yesterday dismissed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the abandonment of parts of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to route the project through the existing East-West Road, insisting that the entire 750-kilometre coastal highway would be constructed as originally planned.
The clarification followed public controversy over the proposed use of the East-West Road corridor in parts of the Niger Delta, with concerns that the decision could leave some states and coastal communities outside the original alignment of the flagship infrastructure project.
In a statement posted on the Presidency’s official X handle, the government declared that at no time did the President direct that the 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be discontinued to East-West Road from Edo State.
Instead, it said the proposed reconstruction of 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, from Edo State to Cross River State, was an additional project to be executed alongside the coastal highway.
“This additional project, which is the reconstruction of East-West Road, is presently below flood level due to climate change and whose pavement is badly damaged, will not affect the complete construction of the entire 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as initially proposed,” the statement said.
The statement, issued following a directive by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, sought to clarify the government’s position amid mounting questions over the route of the coastal highway and the implications of the proposed changes for states along the corridor.
Umahi had earlier said Tinubu directed that the continuation of the coastal highway should use the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta rather than create an entirely new alignment.
The comments generated controversy, with critics demanding clarification on whether the original route had been altered and which communities would benefit from the project.
The latest statement, however, maintained that the original alignment remained intact and that work was progressing on several sections of the highway.
It identified five sections where work was ongoing in the Niger Delta and adjoining areas, including Sections 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, covering 75 kilometres of dual carriageway; Sections 4A and 4B in Ogun and Ondo states, covering 65 kilometres; and Section Five in Akwa Ibom State, covering 62 kilometres.
The government said surveying and design work was continuing on the outstanding portions of the highway, extending from the end of the Ondo section through Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states before connecting with Section Five in Akwa Ibom.
It added that procurement and construction of the remaining sections would commence after the survey and design work had been completed.
“As soon as the survey and design of the remaining sections of the 750km of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway are completed, procurement and construction will commence starting from the end of Ondo axis,” the statement said.
The Presidency also cited the additional route approved for the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri highway to explain why the East-West Road reconstruction would not mean the abandonment or alteration of the coastal highway.
According to the statement, Tinubu approved an additional 410-kilometre Wukari-Langtang route under the fourth legacy road project, expanding the planned dual carriageway from 700 kilometres to 1,100 kilometres.
It said the additional route had not affected the original alignment of the project, adding that the same principle applied to the coastal highway and the East-West Road reconstruction.
“All sections of the legacy projects are ongoing as proposed, and the additional projects will not affect the performance of the original alignment nor will it change it,” the statement added.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the federal government’s major infrastructure projects, designed to link Lagos with Calabar through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
The controversy over its alignment intensified after Umahi’s comments that the existing East-West Road would be incorporated into the route in parts of the Niger Delta. The minister cited flooding, climate change and the condition of the existing road as reasons for the proposed reconstruction.
However, the reported changes prompted questions about the project’s original objectives, particularly its promise of improved connectivity for coastal communities and economic centres across the southern corridor.
But the latest clarification did not provide a detailed map of the final alignment or explain precisely how the coastal highway and the reconstructed East-West Road would connect along the affected stretches.
The Presidency urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as misinformation about the administration’s commitment to delivering the projects as planned.