Umahi: Security, Economic Benefit of Nigerians FG’s Priority in Construction of Lagos-Calabar Highway
* Tinubu to inaugurate first section May 2025
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is being constructed with the safety and economic considerations of the people in mind, even as he disclosed that the first 20 kilometres of the road will be inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in May 2025.
Umahi, who disclosed this Friday during the inspection of the ongoing coastal road, added that the contractor handling the project is working to ensure that the phase is completed before the deadline.
According to the minister, the road will be made up of 10 lanes, six major and four service lanes, just as the road will be equipped with 24 hours light, security posts, medical facilities and other infrastructure that will enhance its economic value.
He said the government is acquiring land by the corridor for infrastructure that will lead to return on investments on the road apart from the tolling.
He said: “We are going to be reviewing this contract to accommodate what is not there. There are places like that Landmark where we have to build a retaining wall.”
He added that the entire 750km stretch of the road would be illuminated with solar streetlights with security cameras, as well as trees to protect the road and give aesthetics.
“We want to make sure that we enhance economic activities along the corridor, travel time at night, secure lives and properties of our people,” he said.
Speaking on the inauguration date, the minister said: “Here in section one of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, we are very sure that we will commission the first 20 kilometres and 10 kilometres in section two.
“The good thing is that in this first session of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Hi-Tech has divided the entire 47 by six lanes into five sessions and every session is doing a similar work.
“This is what gave us the conviction to say that we can complete session one by May 2025.
“That is why we divide the completion into two phases, the section one, we will be commissioning the first 20 kilometres before the end of May 2025 even though another 10 kilometres would have been done by the end of the job.
“But continuously, we have 20 kilometres to commission and we will have the road continuously sand filled totally waiting settlement and of course the completion of the remaining 17 kilometres before the end of next year.
“And of course, we would also by May 2025 been able to complete 10 kilometres in session two, which is 25 kilometres, which is going to stop at the border between Lagos and Ogun States.
“We have been written by the NNPCL about their gas pipeline along the Ondo and Ogun axis. So we are doing a meeting to look at it.
“The people whose properties are involved, we have fully paid them compensation. The last time I saw the papers, we had a total of N18 billion compensation to pay.”
Umahi stated that Tinubu will inaugurate key five projects in each zone by May 2025, adding that this is to demonstrate the president’s commitment in carrying all zones along.
“Generally, we have directed the controllers to concentrate on a number of projects, at least a minimum of five projects must be commissioned.
“And if we have funding challenges, we have decided to do commissioning in sections. Some of our roads like the Sokoto-Zamfara-Kastina-Kaduna Highway is a total of 375 kilometres by two, which is 750 kilometres.
“So we may not have all the money in 2025 to complete, there are four sections and we are going to be completing a minimum of 50 per cent of that road.
“Other roads we are going to give adequate attention is the Kano-Kastina Road and the Northern bypass. We are going to give some of these projects a very big push. So, we have decided to concentrate about five projects per zone,” he said.
