The Bola Tinubu-led government has marked 700 properties for demolition as part of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
Olukorede Kesha, Lagos State Controller of Works, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting on the project, stating that the figure is significantly lower than initial projections.
“Instead of having to demolish about 1,500 houses, we took the most economical route. Now we are left with less than 700 houses to be demolished,” she said.
Kesha commended the pace and planning behind the project, noting that Section 1 — spanning 47.4 kilometres — had already been awarded.
Addressing concerns over property demolition and route alignment, she said: “A lot of people complained about set alignments, but they are not duty-bound to follow any alignment.
“It was set aside when somebody else was to do it, but now that it’s the Federal Government, we have to look at the most feasible, most economical route.”
Speaking at the same event, Minister of Works David Umahi described the highway as a transformative project that will reshape Nigeria’s transportation landscape and contribute to environmental sustainability through its eco-friendly design.Nigerian political art prints
“This project is going to evacuate all the traffic out of the town, and that will be a big plus for us. We are not only building for today. We are also building for tomorrow. And, of course, there will be a rail line in the middle. The middle is 12 metres gap,” he said.
The minister noted that some sections of the road will include train stations and other infrastructure to support future developments.
On the challenges posed by Section 2 of the project, Umahi pointed out the existing industrial infrastructure, particularly around the Dangote refinery.
“With Dangote refinery, one needs about 60 metres clearance for the trucks to go in and out. So, we are now building a flyover that has a span of 60 metres. And then the next span is 41.6 metres, counterbalanced by the next span, and then the rest is 22, 23 metres,” he said.
“We are flying over Dangote’s refinery, we are flying over Dangote’s fertiliser, and we are flying over some other conflict points,” Umahi added.
He also hinted at the project’s ongoing expansion across other states.
“We have started in Cross River, and of course, Akwa Ibom. We are going there to flag off the construction,” he said.
Touching on other infrastructure projects, the minister provided updates on the Sokoto-Badagry corridor, describing it as part of a network of interconnected “legacy projects”.
He acknowledged the challenges along the Badagry section, including a three-kilometre stretch of river crossings that require significant investment, but said four options were being considered to address the issue.
According to Umahi, the third legacy project stretches from Calabar through Ebonyi, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi and ends in Abuja, while the fourth runs from Abuja through Makurdi, Keffi, Akwanga, Jos, Bauchi and Gombe.
“The four legacy projects are all connected together and no region is left aside,” he said.
Umahi also issued a warning against the misuse and abuse of public infrastructure, urging stakeholders to ensure proper maintenance and utilisation.
