By Atlantic Reports

The Federal Government says construction of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is continuing, dismissing reports that the project has been abandoned in favour of the East-West Road.

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, told journalists at the State House in Abuja on Monday that construction, design and survey work were proceeding along the coastal route.

“Nobody has abandoned the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. We have designers and surveyors working along the route, including in Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers,” he said.

Umahi said the ministry was seeking President Bola Tinubu’s approval for an intervention covering about 400 kilometres of the East-West Road. He described the proposal as complementary to the coastal highway, rather than a replacement.

The proposed work would cover sections linking Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

Construction Progress and Targets

Umahi said work was advancing across several sections of the coastal highway, although the figures presented were the ministry’s account of progress.

He described Section One as covering 147.47 kilometres and said it was being fully constructed in Lagos. He also said Section Two, covering 55 kilometres, was expected to be ready by mid-November.

The minister reported that Sections Three A and Three B, covering about 75 kilometres in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, had exceeded 40 per cent completion.

He said construction was ongoing on Sections Four A and Four B, covering 65 kilometres across Ogun and Ondo states.

According to him, work had also begun on Section Five, a 62.5-kilometre stretch in Akwa Ibom, with progress exceeding 20 per cent in less than three months.

The briefing did not clarify the section boundaries underlying the 147.47-kilometre figure attributed to Section One in Lagos. It also did not specify whether the reported completion percentages measured road length, expenditure or the overall scope of construction.

The mid-November date remains a government target. Umahi did not state whether readiness would mean completion of all associated works or opening the section to traffic.

Flood Damage Drives East-West Road Proposal

Umahi said damaged portions of the East-West Road required attention, citing flooding in Delta and Edo states.

For communities and businesses along the Niger Delta corridor, the distinction between the two projects matters. Repairs to an existing road and construction of a new coastal route address different transport needs, even where the roads connect parts of the same region.

The minister said surveys along the coastal highway were continuing to support its development and integration with other infrastructure in the Niger Delta.

He maintained that the planned coastal alignment would remain unchanged.

“The 750-kilometre coastal highway is intact and cannot be changed. Nobody has the power to change it because it is already designed and ongoing,” he said.

Funding and Delivery Details Remain Unspecified

The proposed East-West Road intervention still requires presidential approval. The briefing did not provide its estimated cost, funding source, procurement arrangements or construction timetable.

Umahi also did not give a completion date for the entire coastal highway or explain how work on the two corridors would be funded and sequenced.

His assurances establish the government’s position that both projects will proceed together. Assessing delivery will require clearer section maps, measurable construction milestones and details of the resources committed to each route.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.