Umahi: Tinubu’s Administration Will Complete Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway by 2029
Works Minister David Umahi says the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be finished in 2029, three years from now, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
He gave the timeline during a 90-minute interview with Arise Television in Abuja.
“We have four years, plus additional time by God’s special grace. So we are looking at three years,” he said.
Legacy projects over existing roads
Umahi said the Federal Government’s decision to prioritise major legacy projects remains paramount, even as concerns grow about the condition of existing federal roads nationwide.
He also acknowledged that the coastal highway was awarded without public bidding but insisted the process was lawful.
“There was no public bidding, but there was direct procurement. It’s within the law. That’s all I’ve just said,” he stated.
The Arise presenters noted that Umahi gave no detailed construction timetable or specific dates, saying instead that progress depends on the schedules for the individual sections.
A project under scrutiny
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the Federal Government’s flagship projects. It is meant to connect coastal communities and improve transport along Nigeria’s southern corridor.
The project has also drawn debate over procurement, funding priorities, costs and the use of public resources, especially as motorists continue to struggle on deteriorating federal roads elsewhere.
Umahi responded by pointing to the ministry’s wider record. He said the administration is building and rebuilding more than 17,000 kilometres of roads, in addition to the major legacy projects.
“The Ministry of Works currently oversees approximately 17,000 kilometres of federal roads, out of a total of 35,000 kilometres, excluding the few legacy projects we are constructing,” he said.
About the coastal highway
The Federal Government began the project in March 2024, when President Tinubu performed the groundbreaking ceremony at Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, Lagos State.
The highway is expected to pass through nine states: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.
