The Nigeria Government on Friday, December 12, 2025, temporarily opened the 47.47-kilometre Section-one, Phase One of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.
The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi who inaugurated the section on behalf of President Bola Tinubu described the project as a game changer for national infrastructure development.
The Oniru of Iruland, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, used the occasion to commend the Federal Government for the project, adding that the opening of the section represents a significant milestone in national progress. The monarch also praised the Managing Director of Construction Company, Dany Abboud for assuring them that the entire 106-kilometre stretch covering Sections One and Two would be completed by December 2026.
The opened section runs from Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island to Eleko in Ibeju – Lekki.
When completed, the 750-kilometre highway, will run through Ogun, Ondo,, Edo , Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before terminating in Cross River State.
Senator Umahi rightly stated at the important event that the opening of the section marked the realisation of a 27-year dream.
There is no doubting the fact that the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway project is of national strategic importance due to its capacity to
boost cross-country connectivity, trade, tourism, job creation and economic growth.
The road features reinforced concrete pavement, CCTV coverage and other modern installations.
President Tinubu must be commended for his bold vision and prioritising infrastructure development across the country, including the 1,068 kilometre Sokoto – Badagry Superhighway, which connects the north to the ports in Lagos.
The Lagos – Calabar Coastal highway would cut travel time, link rural and urban markets, and support key economic corridors such as the Lekki Free Trade Zone.
The highway project is one of the most ambitious and audacious infrastructure projects since Nigeria’s independence.
Motorists using the road are full of praises for President Tinubu, Senator Umahi and Hitech Construction Company Limited for a job well done.
Residents of Ajah, Ogombo, Sangotedo and adjourning communities have expressed joy and relief over the opening of the section.
According to them, the opening of the section has cut their travel time by over 50 minutes to one hour. They are happy to divert from the ever – busy and traffic – prone Lekki – Epe Expressway. One of the residents, Mr Timothy Simon, said he used to wake up as early as 4 am to get ready for work, and he spent one hour, 30 minutes to get to his office in Victoria Island. But now, he wakes up at 5: 30 am, and it takes him just 30 minutes to drive from his house to the office in Victoria Street. Now, his happiness knows no bounds following the opening of the section one, phase one of the Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway. According to him, the cost of fueling his car per week has reduced by half since he started using the highway. His story is a practical example of the economic benefits derivable from the project. Just imagine the socio- economic benefits when the project is fully completed.
There is no gainsaying the fact that those opposed to the project have been put to shame.
Thousands of Lagos residents who use the opened section daily have become vocal defenders of the project.
The second phase of the project is designed to extend approximately 55 kilometres from the Lekki Deep Seaport, where the first section ends, to the boundary between Ogun and Ondo States. This phase has already received approval from the Bureau of Public Enterprises ( BPE)
This courageous and gigantic project holds the potential for unlocking the hidden productivity of Nigeria’s coastal regions and the hinterland, improving the transportation infrastructure and transforming businesses across the South West and South South regions. It also has the capacity to increase Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), trigger industrialization, boost trade and attract Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI).
President Bola Tinubu, Works Minister, Senator Dave Umahi and Hitech Construction Company Limited deserve the support of Nigerians in their quest to complete this critical national
infrastructure.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mustapha Isah, former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, lives in Lagos.
