Coastal Highway: Calabar corridor flags off April 14

All is now set for the flag-off of the Calabar end of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway on 14th April 2025.

Minister of Works David Umahi disclosed this during a stakeholder engagement meeting on the ongoing construction of Phase I, Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. The meeting, held at the Orchid Hall, Eko Hotel on 6th April 2025, was organised by the Federal Ministry of Works.

He stated: “The Calabar end of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be flagged off on Monday, 14th April 2025, while the Akwa Ibom State spur of the same road shall be flagged off on Tuesday, 15th April 2025.

“The construction of the spur of the Trans-Sahara Road, spanning Calabar, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and the FCT, will be flagged off in Ebonyi State by the Federal Government on 16th April 2025.”;

I Umahi, in a statement signed by his media aide, Orji U. Orji, described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project as an investment of inestimable worth—one whose positive impact on inclusive economic growth and national prosperity defies quantification.

He further explained that the coastal highway would serve as a formidable evacuation corridor, bearing significant social and economic advantages in the realms of tourism, trade, agriculture, and aquaculture, while enhancing several services within the maritime sector.

“We shall install CCTV systems along the entire route, ensuring that responses to any incident occur within five minutes. What is not widely appreciated is that this is, in fact, an evacuation corridor—I have said so repeatedly. We shall eliminate carbon credits through the use of concrete pavement, which emits far less than other road types. Furthermore, we shall employ solar technology, a most vital contribution. Trees shall be planted along the entire corridor,”; the minister affirmed.

Commending the Nigerian people for their cooperation and support of the Renewed Hope road infrastructure initiative—particularly those who recognise these legacy projects as pivotal to national development and to the upliftment of citizens’ quality of life—he addressed recent criticisms with candour.

He condemned as “irresponsible and delusive”; the statements made by the Landmark property proprietor, who alleged that property worth billions of naira had been destroyed, and a woman trending online who claimed her property worth $25 million had been affected by the project.

“And so,”; Umahi declared, “I call upon Nigerians to place their trust in the new administration. We are building for the future, and inherited projects are being given the attention they deserve. I thank you for your dedication and partnership,”; he concluded, reaffirming Mr President’s resolve to deliver all awarded projects within a record timeframe.