The Federal Government is targeting the completion of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway within three years, according to the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
Umahi disclosed this during an interview with Arise Television on Friday, expressing confidence that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would deliver the project before the end of its tenure.
The minister said the government was working towards the proposed timeline but did not provide a detailed construction schedule or completion dates for the highway’s individual sections.
He also defended the process used to award the contract, acknowledging that it was not subjected to public bidding but insisting that direct procurement was permitted under the law.
The coastal highway is one of the administration’s major infrastructure projects, designed to improve connectivity between communities along Nigeria’s southern coastline and ease movement across the region.
Its construction has attracted public debate over contract procedures, project costs and government spending priorities, particularly as several existing federal roads remain in poor condition.
Addressing concerns about road infrastructure nationwide, Umahi said his ministry was undertaking construction and rehabilitation work across approximately 17,000 kilometres of federal roads, excluding major legacy projects.
He added that about 1,700 kilometres of roads had been completed since the current administration assumed office, alongside more than six kilometres of flyovers, bridges and underpasses.
Umahi also defended the coastal highway on the grounds that traffic congestion along the Lagos corridor could worsen without additional road infrastructure. He warned that growing traffic around Lekki could become increasingly difficult to manage in the coming years.
The minister further addressed plans to engage 4,000 social media influencers to publicise the administration’s projects, stating that he would personally finance the initiative rather than use public funds.
He described the campaign as a way to showcase the government’s achievements nationwide and help generate support for Tinubu.
The proposed three-year delivery period would place the highway’s completion around 2029, provided construction proceeds according to the government’s projected timeline.
