FG scales down ‘expensive’ Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to six lanes
Umahi said he will present a memo to that effect to the federal executive council.
He explained during an assessment tour of the project on Friday that the review became necessary in view of variations in designs and interventions.
The minister said that there is need to evacuate refuse of 10 metres depth and backfilling the space, and salvaging some structures along the route.
Mr Umahi said, “We are going to be reviewing this contract to accommodate what is not there. There are places like that Landmark where we have to build a retaining wall.”
He added that the entire 750-kilometre stretch of the road would be illuminated with solar street lights, security cameras and points, as well as trees to protect the road.
According to him, the first 20 kilometres of the road will be inaugurated by May 29, 2026.
The minister said he had directed officials of the ministry in all states to concentrate on a number of projects, so that a minimum of three projects will be commissioned in each state by 2026.
The Syndicate reports that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway began in March 2024 with the first phase stretching 47.47 kilometers from Lagos. The highway is expected to be completed in eight years and will cost N4 billion per kilometer.
The project, awarded to an ally of President Bola Tinubu, will gulp $13 billion.
The 700-kilometer Atlantic coastal road linking the commercial hub of Lagos to Calabar in the oil-rich Niger Delta was mired in controversy when it was announced that the project was awarded to Hitech Construction Company Ltd., owned by Gilbert Chagoury, who was listed by the government as Tinubu’s “confidante” when he was included as part of Nigeria’s delegation to COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
The government was forced to hold a series of public meetings, press conferences and speeches to defend the project, while surrogates appear on television to explain its position.
