The Federal Government has confirmed that the first 47-kilometre stretch of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway will be opened to traffic in December 2025.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, made the announcement during an inspection of the highway on Sunday, stating that the official opening is planned between December 12 and 17.
Umahi assured that both the government and the contractor remain committed to completing this portion of the 750-kilometre highway, which connects nine coastal states.
“This project must be completed. On the president’s directive, we are working to ensure the carriageway is accessible to the public by December. We have agreed with the contractor, and that is the focus of our current assessment. Our goal is to provide unhindered access from channel 0 to channel 47, extending up to channel 55,” the minister said.
He added that full commissioning of Section 1 and half of Section 2 is expected by April 2026, excluding bridges included in Section 2, emphasizing gratitude to God and the president for enabling the progress.
In a related development, Umahi addressed recent legal controversies involving Okengwu Stella Winhomes. He said a Federal High Court ruling dismissed her claims over the highway project as baseless.
Umahi explained that Winhomes CEO Stella Okengwu had alleged that the highway’s route was diverted into a supposed Winhomes residential development in Okun Ajah, Lagos, jeopardizing an investment reportedly worth over $250 million. The minister clarified that the site in question contains only a gatehouse and that documents submitted by Okengwu herself show the land had already been sold to third parties.
“The court determined that Mrs. Okengwu and Winhomes Global Services Limited had no legal standing to pursue the case, as they no longer held any interest in the property. Their public allegations are therefore inconsistent with court filings,” Umahi said.
He added that Okengwu had spread misleading claims intended to dissuade foreign investors but that the court exposed them as false. Umahi urged the public to disregard her statements and emphasized the government’s commitment to the highway project.
The scheduled December opening of this highway segment represents a significant step in the federal government’s drive to improve national road infrastructure and enhance connectivity along Nigeria’s coastal regions.
