The Presidency has dismissed reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu ordered the abandonment of parts of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in favour of the existing East-West Road, insisting that the original project will be completed as planned.
The clarification follows public controversy over comments by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, regarding the proposed reconstruction of sections of the East-West Road through the Niger Delta. The development raised concerns that some states and coastal communities could be excluded from the original route of the major infrastructure project.
In a statement published on the Presidency’s official X account, the Federal Government maintained that the President had not directed that the coastal highway be discontinued from Edo State and redirected along the East-West Road.
According to the Presidency, the proposed reconstruction of approximately 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, extending from Edo State to Cross River State, is an additional infrastructure project that will be undertaken alongside the coastal highway.
The government explained that parts of the existing East-West Road are vulnerable to flooding and have suffered significant pavement damage. It said the reconstruction would address these challenges without affecting the completion of the coastal highway.
The clarification came after Umahi reportedly stated that Tinubu had instructed the government to use the existing East-West Road in parts of the Niger Delta rather than develop an entirely new alignment for the coastal highway.
His comments sparked criticism and demands for clarification from members of the public, who questioned whether the original route had been altered and what the implications would be for communities along the proposed corridor.
However, the Presidency insisted that the original alignment remained intact and that construction was progressing on several sections of the highway.
The government identified five sections where work was ongoing across the Niger Delta and neighbouring areas. These include Sections 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states, covering 75 kilometres of dual carriageway; Sections 4A and 4B in Ogun and Ondo states, covering 65 kilometres; and Section Five in Akwa Ibom State, covering 62 kilometres.
It added that surveying and design activities were continuing on the remaining sections, extending from the end of the Ondo axis through Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states before connecting with Section Five in Akwa Ibom.
According to the government, procurement and construction of the outstanding sections will begin once the survey and design work has been completed.
The Presidency stated that the additional East-West Road project would not alter the original coastal highway alignment, drawing a comparison with another federal road initiative.
It cited the approval of an additional 410-kilometre Wukari-Langtang route under the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri highway project. The additional route expanded the planned dual carriageway from 700 kilometres to 1,100 kilometres without, according to the government, changing the original alignment.
The Presidency maintained that the same principle applied to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed East-West Road reconstruction.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the Federal Government’s major infrastructure projects. It is designed to connect Lagos with Calabar through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, with the broader objective of improving transportation and economic connectivity along Nigeria’s southern corridor.
The controversy intensified following Umahi’s remarks about incorporating the existing East-West Road into parts of the route. The minister cited flooding, climate change and the deteriorating condition of the road as reasons for the proposed reconstruction.
Despite the Presidency’s clarification, questions remain about the precise relationship between the two projects and how the final alignment will be implemented across the affected states. The latest statement did not provide a detailed map showing how the coastal highway and the reconstructed East-West Road would connect along the relevant stretches.
The Presidency urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as misinformation, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to delivering the infrastructure projects as planned.
