Despite the criticism that has trailed the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, the Bola Tinubu-led administration on Monday announced that it was planning the construction of the 1,000km Sokoto-Badagry road, to link all the geopolitical zones of the country.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, who revealed this, according to a statement by his spokesman, Uchenna Orji, said it was part of the current administration’s planned enduring network of roads that will in turn foster a more secure, safer and sustainable transportation ecosystem.
A cross-section of Nigerians had said the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway remains a bogus project that may not see the light of the day. In fact, a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, recently said that the project may not be completed in the next 30 years.
Umahi spoke during his inspection visit to the km 47 axis of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project at Eleko, Lagos State, which the contractor moved to handle, due to the ongoing demolition around the km 3-4 of the highway.
Speaking during the visit, the minister, accompanied by the Federal Controller of Works, Lagos State, Olukorede Kesha and a technical team from the ministry, revealed that he had received a directive from the president to commence the immediate design of the Sokoto- Badagry highway, which he said is a spur to the Lagos- Calabar Coastal Road.
” I’m happy that Mr. President has also directed me to start the immediate design of the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, and that one is 1,000 kilometres . We’ve started the design, and I’m very sure that as soon as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approves it, we will be starting at Sokoto side, which is going to be the zero point,” he added.
In the course of the inspection, the minister noted the need to realign the coastal highway around the axis of the Lekki Deep Sea Port at the point of km 47 by constructing a flyover bridge across the Dangote/ Hitech concrete pavement so as to align with the economic values of the coastal highway.
He stated: “We have chosen another alignment that is going to be parallel to the road that is going to the Lekki Deep Sea port at kilometre 47. And that’s the end of section one of phase one.
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And so, we are very happy with that decision. We will use a flyover to fly over the Dangote HiTech Road that is coming from Lekki Deep Sea port going to Epe and joining the road that is going from Lekki Deep Sea to Lagos being done by the state government.”
He commended Hitech Construction Nigeria Limited for the quality and speed of the job and hoped that with their capacity and track records, and the political will of the president, the 700 km project would be completed within the eight years of the current administration.
He noted that the coastal highway project will connect the entire country through the spurs going to the North by both North East and North West as well as North Central.
He said: “We are very, very excited with the quality of work they are doing, with the speed of work. It gives us the confidence that this coastal road will be constructed within the two-term tenure of Mr. President.
“We also have another spur that is going to go from Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja going to Cameroon. And so we have that spur. It’s about 361 kilometres going through Otukpo to Benue, Nasarawa, and ends up at Apo in Abuja.
“We are also going to be presenting it to Mr. President. When this is done, then the coastal road, like we promised, is going to circle the entire country.”
On the reported impact of the demolition exercise along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway section 1, phase 1 as it affects the Landmark investment, the minister made it clear that the Landmark properties were intact.
He noted that the owner of the investment has no title to the 250 metres shoreline which is the right of way belonging to the federal government.
He said: “We are looking at the feelings of the people, and we’re looking at economic value by making sure that as much as possible, we follow the coast and also follow the right of way that is legally within the right of way of the federal government.
“This is not to say that for the interest of the nation and in line with our laws, that lands cannot be acquired in the overall interest of the public.
Emmanuel Addeh
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