By Kingston Magare 9.8.2026
Nigeria’s minister of works David Umahi said the President Bola Tinubu administration is rapidly progressing with the construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway.
Umahi said Sunday that work has reached Ondo State from the Lagos end, while from the Calabar end, 30 percent of the construction has been completed in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
“Lot 1 has since been completed, and Lot 2 is over 80 per cent done. We are in Ondo. We were there the other day. We have done over 30 per cent of the job in Calabar and Akwa Ibom. We have started the largest section – 180km by 2,” Umahi said.
“We are just left with the Bayelsa, the Delta, Rivers and then the Edo sections.”
He argued that Lagos-Calabar highway is of immense economical advantage to Nigeria, despite the cynicism about the project many critics believe has been over priced and the contract not thrown open for bidding.
“I am waiting for a debate on this. The debate is on why people attack the Coastal Highway. They don’t want the Niger Delta where we drill the oil to benefit [from projects]. They darken counsel without knowledge. You said, ‘This thing will not pass Epe.’ It has since passed Epe.”
The 700 km Lagos-Calabar coastal road is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states, before culminating in Cross River.