Umahi: First 30km of Lagos-Calabar highway to be ready in May

David Umahi, the minister of works, says the first 30 kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway will be ready and inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in May.

Speaking on Sunday during the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, Umahi said despite initial setbacks, significant progress has been made.

The minister said the project faced challenges, including rerouting section one to avoid mass demolitions along the original gazetted corridor.

He said although many structures were built illegally on the designated path, the government opted for a more humane approach by navigating around them.

The politician also said unforeseen complications arose during construction, particularly along a 10-kilometre stretch where years of refuse dumping had compromised the soil integrity.

“We had the responsibility of excavating up to 10 meters, and they sand filled back to existing ground level, and of course, take it up to the design level, and then that needed settlement. So we came together with the contractor and agreed that there should be no immediate work there,” Umahi said.

“But today I’m happy we went through again. We conducted tests. Settlement is being achieved 100 percent and we are on the move.

“So what we could do by May is that we have agreed with the contractor and is going to affirm it magically, to have the first 20 kilometres seamlessly from Chennai zero down to Chennai 20 ready for Mr. president to commission in May, and another 10 kilometres from Eleko junction coming towards Chennai 37 ready for commissioning.

“That is 30 kilometres in section one, and then we will be left with about 17 kilometres. But the good news is that all sand filling is being done up to Eleko junction.”

Addressing concerns over property demolitions, he said only one building remains on the path of construction and negotiations with the owner have been concluded.

“What I directed is that let work continue and stop at his fence, then work will also continue at the other side of his fence, so his house is standing at the middle of the road. So we have discussed, and I believe strongly, that we understood ourselves,” he said.

On section two, Umahi highlighted the integration of the Lekki Free Zone into the project, adding that the highway would pass in front of the Dangote refinery, necessitating the construction of an 80-meter span bridge to facilitate seamless truck movement.

The minister also announced that construction contracts for section three, totalling 65 kilometres, have been awarded and will be flagged off in the coming weeks.

“We have awarded section three, three A in Cross River, three B in Akwa Ibom and that is a total of 65 kilometres by two. By next week, or upper week, we go there to officially have it flagged off for construction,” he said.

“For the sections of Ondo, the section of Delta, the section of Port Harcourt, the continuous section in Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, we are confronted with a lot of bridges, some as long as three kilometres. We don’t want to do that. That is going to cost us a fortune.

“So we are redesigning, going to the uplands of the corridor, and that is going to eliminate about 90 percent of the bridges. So that will be cost-effective, and then there will be a return on investment. This is what is happening in the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway.”

‘ECONOMY BOUNCING BACK, GDP GROWING’

Umahi also praised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, stating that his administration’s policies are improving the economy.

He said Nigeria’s economy is on the path to recovery, with the exchange rate stabilising and the gross domestic product (GDP) experiencing growth.

“We have every reason to be very appreciative to Mr. President. The economy is bouncing back, the exchange rate is almost stabilised. It’s going to do much better. We are having the GDP growing. We are having the fuel prices coming down,” the minister said.

“They always say that the dawn is the darkest part of the night. We’ll be there with prayers and commitment. America will say America first. The time has come when a man that divinely came by God is on the saddle and we will begin to say Nigeria first.”

Umahi called for national unity and cooperation, urging Nigerians to support government policies to ensure continued economic progress.