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The Nigerian Government has renamed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as the President Bola Tinubu Coastal Highway, with Minister of Works Dave Umahi saying the decision recognises the president’s role in conceiving the landmark infrastructure project.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Umahi said the decision followed consultations within the Federal Ministry of Works and reflected Tinubu’s long-standing vision for the project.
“That project is a beauty to behold. And that highway is named President Bola Tinubu Coastal Highway. And that’s what we have named the entire coastal highway,”. Umahi said,
According to the minister, the idea for the coastal highway dates back more than 27 years to Tinubu‘s tenure as governor of Lagos State, adding that its construction marks the realisation of that vision.
Umahi also dismissed claims that the ongoing highway project contributed to the recent flooding in parts of Lagos, saying findings from a joint inspection showed the road was instead helping to protect nearby communities from ocean surges by serving as a barrier against encroaching seawater.
He explained that communities located on the seaward side of the highway remained vulnerable to flooding because of their proximity to the Atlantic Ocean rather than the construction works.
The minister also defended the project’s procurement process, rejecting criticisms that the contract should have been subject to open competitive bidding. He said the Public Procurement Act permits special procurement for highly specialised engineering projects and noted that Hitech Construction Company possessed the required technical expertise.
Umahi added that both the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Federal Executive Council approved the procurement process in line with the law.
He further disclosed that the project has attracted strong investor interest, with international financial institutions indicating willingness to finance the first two sections beyond the required funding level.
Providing an update on construction, Umahi said work is ongoing on more than 360 kilometres of the planned 750-kilometre highway. He said the 47.47-kilometre first section linking Victoria Island to the Lekki corridor is progressing steadily, while the 55-kilometre second section extending to the Lagos-Ogun border is about 60 per cent complete and is expected to reach substantial completion before the end of November.
He added that construction has advanced to about 30 per cent on Section Three in Cross River State and about 20 per cent on Section Four, while work is also continuing on the approximately 180-kilometre Section Five, despite contractors not yet having received mobilisation funds.
Beyond the coastal highway, Umahi said work is progressing on other major road projects, including the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway, emergency repairs on the Abuja-Lokoja Road, and the reconstruction of key roads in Ekiti and Osun states.
He also said the 260-kilometre Makurdi-9th Mile Road project has exceeded 70 per cent completion and disclosed that the ministry has begun recruiting young Nigerian engineers to work alongside contractors on major projects as part of efforts to strengthen local technical capacity and facilitate knowledge transfer.
