Umahi Projects Lagos-Calabar Highway Done by 2029, Defends ₦1.06tn Cost

Works Minister David Umahi has stated that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 750-kilometre project, should be finished within three years, placing completion around 2029. During a Friday television interview, Umahi outlined the timeline while defending the federal government's choice to prioritise this mega-project despite ongoing concerns about the condition of existing road networks across Nigeria.

Umahi pushed back against accusations that the highway project amounts to land seizure, attributing such claims to political tactics. Former Cross River State governor Donald Duke had previously labelled the scheme as land grabbing.

The minister argued that as more people recognise the initiative's potential benefits, political opponents resort to such criticism. On the project's financial structure, Umahi defended the ₦1.06 trillion contract value for Section One, saying critics had misunderstood the expense by failing to account for engineering complexity, terrain challenges, and supporting infrastructure like multiple carriageways.

He maintained the pricing was competitive given these factors and rising material costs. The minister also acknowledged the highway was awarded through direct procurement rather than open bidding, but insisted the process was legally permissible.

Umahi linked the project's completion prospects to political continuity, stating that President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027 would be necessary to see the road through to completion. He described the initiative as a personal project of the president requiring sustained backing.

The minister further dismissed reports that the coastal highway had been sidelined in favour of the East-West Road project.