Minister of Works Dave Umahi has dismissed claims that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has been abandoned or fundamentally altered, insisting that the project remains ongoing despite adjustments to parts of its route. Umahi said President Bola Tinubu approved limited realignments to address difficult terrain and rising construction costs, while the Federal Government is also pursuing plans to reconstruct and raise vulnerable sections of the existing East-West Road.
Key Highlights
- Dave Umahi insists the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has not been abandoned.
- President Bola Tinubu reportedly directed sections of the route to follow the existing East-West Road where necessary.
- The government says difficult terrain, deep pits and peat deposits influenced the realignment.
- The Federal Government is seeking approval to reconstruct and upgrade about 400 kilometres of the East-West Road.
- The proposed road works include raising flood-prone sections by approximately two metres.
- Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called for greater transparency over project designs, costs and contract variations.
- Umahi maintains that the coastal highway and the East-West Road upgrade are complementary projects.
Umahi Clarifies Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Realignment
Umahi gave the clarification in comments reported by the media on October 12, 2026, following public debate over whether changes to the highway’s route meant the original project had been abandoned.
The minister maintained that the coastal highway remains part of the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme, with construction and design activities continuing along different sections of the corridor.
The project is intended to connect Lagos with coastal and near-coastal communities across the South-West and South-South, extending towards Calabar in Cross River State.
Umahi explained that the government had adjusted parts of the proposed route in response to engineering challenges, arguing that following the existing East-West Road in some locations would be more practical than constructing an entirely new alignment.
“Nobody has abandoned the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway… it is already designed and it is ongoing,” the minister said, according to reports.
Why Tinubu Approved the Highway Realignment
The controversy centres on remarks that the highway would follow sections of the existing East-West Road from Ondo State towards Edo State rather than maintain a completely new coastal alignment throughout the corridor.
Umahi quoted President Tinubu as directing: “Divert, do not do any new alignments. Pass the coastal highway through the existing East-West road.”
The minister described the directive as an engineering decision intended to address difficult ground conditions and avoid excessive construction costs.
According to Umahi, parts of the proposed route contain deep pits, peat deposits and areas where suitable sharp sand for filling is difficult to obtain. He said these conditions could make the construction of a new road alignment substantially more expensive.
The minister also pointed to previous adjustments involving Sections 4A and 4B, covering parts of Ogun and Ondo states, where significant filling work was reportedly undertaken.
The Ondo-to-Edo stretch is estimated at approximately 104 kilometres, including a proposed 45-kilometre Benin bypass intended to ease traffic congestion around the city.
Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Construction Progress
The coastal highway comprises multiple sections at different stages of construction, with some stretches reportedly nearing completion while others remain under development or design.
According to reports cited in the minister’s clarification:
- Section 1: Approximately 47.5 kilometres in Lagos, reported as substantially completed and awaiting commissioning.
- Section 2: Around 55 kilometres towards the Lagos-Ogun boundary, with completion previously targeted for mid-November 2026.
- Sections 3A and 3B: Approximately 65–75 kilometres across parts of Cross River and Akwa Ibom, with some reports putting progress above 40 per cent.
- Sections 4A and 4B: Covering parts of Ogun and Ondo, with construction and filling works reported to be underway.
Surveying and design activities are also continuing on remaining stretches through Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states towards the Calabar end of the project.
These progress figures and completion targets are based on reported project updates and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the entire highway is close to completion.
FG Plans to Reconstruct 400km of East-West Road
Alongside the coastal highway, the Ministry of Works is seeking approval to reconstruct and upgrade approximately 400 kilometres of the existing East-West Road, which connects communities across the Niger Delta.
Umahi said the additional project would address the condition of sections that are vulnerable to flooding and other environmental challenges.
Parts of the existing road lie below current flood levels, creating risks to road infrastructure and transport during periods of heavy rainfall.
The proposed upgrade includes raising vulnerable stretches by approximately two metres to improve resilience against current flooding and anticipated climate-related pressures.
The minister has stressed that the East-West Road intervention is a separate, complementary project rather than a replacement for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Read also:
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Atiku Demands Transparency Over Highway Costs
The realignment controversy has also attracted criticism from former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who has called for greater transparency over the project’s original design, feasibility studies, revised routes and financial implications.
Atiku has questioned whether the project was adequately assessed before contracts were awarded and called for relevant documents to be made public so Nigerians can evaluate the reasons for the changes and their cost implications.
The debate has also focused on payments already made, contract variations involving Hitech Construction and the financing arrangements supporting the highway.
Umahi has defended the engineering decisions as necessary responses to difficult terrain. He has also cited progress on the project and financing arrangements, including a Deutsche Bank-led facility associated with early sections.
Public estimates of the project’s construction cost have varied. Umahi has previously cited a figure of approximately ₦4 billion per kilometre under certain assumptions for the concrete pavement design, although the final cost of individual sections depends on their engineering requirements and scope.
Coastal Highway Faces Terrain and Flooding Challenges
The disagreement highlights the engineering challenges involved in building a major road corridor across Nigeria’s coastal and Niger Delta regions.
Peat soils, deep depressions, flooding and the availability of suitable construction materials can influence both the design and cost of road infrastructure.
The government argues that combining newly constructed coastal sections with upgrades to the existing East-West Road will improve connectivity while avoiding unnecessarily expensive alignments in difficult locations, as earlier reported by Voice of Nigeria.
However, the public debate has also reinforced calls for the government to disclose revised designs, project costs, financing details and implementation timelines.
What Happens Next?
Umahi maintains that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway remains ongoing, with construction continuing on some sections while surveys, design work and procurement preparations proceed on others.
The proposed East-West Road reconstruction would add a separate infrastructure component aimed at improving transport links and protecting flood-prone sections.
The next stages will depend on project approvals, completion of designs, procurement and construction progress. Public scrutiny is likely to remain focused on whether the realignments deliver the stated engineering benefits, how they affect overall costs and whether the government meets its announced timelines.
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