Concerns over transparency have intensified after journalists were denied access to the construction site of the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. This development has raised fresh questions about the project’s execution, funding, and environmental impact.
The project spans approximately 700 kilometres and is a major infrastructure initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
It is expected to boost economic activities along Nigeria’s coastline, enhancing connectivity and trade.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, had in November 2024 said that every kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project costs N4 billion.
Umahi made this known while reacting to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that each kilometre of the road project costs N8 billion.
However, the secrecy surrounding its implementation has fuelled public scepticism.
Security personnel, acting on instructions from the project’s contractor, Hitech Construction Company, turn away journalists from various media outlets who attempt to visit the site.
On Friday, SaharaReporters’ crew visited the project site to assess and ascertain the work progress. However, officials on the ground at the Oniru Beach Resort part of the project denied them access, citing “orders from above,” particularly the Project Manager.
However, the officials refused to disclose the name of the Project Manager who was said to have given the directive.
Activists argued that the government has failed to engage stakeholders on potential environmental hazards and displacement of local communities.
This development comes amid growing concerns from environmentalists, civil society groups, and opposition lawmakers who have criticised the government’s lack of public consultation.
When SaharaReporters pressed further for the reason journalists are being denied access to the project site, one of the officials who spoke briefly amid fear of the Project Manager’s arrival said he did not know the reason.
He recounted how, in 2024, some media crew members were arrested and taken to Maroko Police Station after the Project Manager discovered that a security officer had allowed them entry.
The security officer was subsequently dismissed.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to seek an audience with the Project Manager or a senior official were met with resistance.
“That one will be very difficult because they will not like it,” one of the officials said.
The officials said that access to the project site is heavily restricted. Soldiers stationed at key entry points sometimes harass people trying to gain access.
“Soldiers are always everywhere there. In fact, on Jakande side, soldiers are the ones who open the gate; if you go there, they cannot open it for you. They had even captured one or two persons there,” an official disclosed.
The official who said he witnessed the case of the media crew arrest said, “The guys (the journalists) came in their car, and the security officer at that side (Oniru) did not know that they don’t allow private vehicles access to this place.
“As they were still there, the project manager passed by and saw them with their camera. He asked them who they were, and the security officer said he did not know them. He said that they came and wanted to check the work.
“He sacked the security officer immediately and arrested the journalists, collected their cameras, their car and took them to Maroko Police Station.”
SaharaReporters’ crew later tracked the construction progress from Oniru Beach to Lafiaji Beach in the Ajah area, where casting work is ongoing.
However, access remained restricted, even when the crew members tried to blend in by pretending to be beachgoers rather than reporters.
To ensure strict compliance with the no-access directive, the officials at the site sent four local young men to monitor SaharaReporters’ crew till they exited the area.
‘We Are Starving, Unemployed, and Overwhelmed by Debt’: Residents Decry Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s Impact
While the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project promises long-term benefits, some residents say they are facing severe hardships due to the sudden disruption caused by the construction.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, Taiwo Solomon, a longtime resident of the Oniru Beach area, expressed mixed feelings about the project.
Solomon, an older woman who runs a small provision store along the coastal highway, said the construction has severely affected her business and left her struggling to make ends meet.
“We are hungry, jobless, and drowning in debt,” she lamented.
On the other hand, she acknowledged that the project is important, noting that her children and grandchildren will benefit from it.
“With this development, travelling to Calabar will be faster and less stressful,” she said.
Although some residents confirmed that those whose houses and businesses were demolished received compensation, Solomon lamented the economic strain the project has placed on local businesses.
She said, “Our biggest challenge is hunger. The construction started so suddenly, and it’s affecting our market.”
“I took out a loan for my business, but now our shops have been destroyed, and our goods are just sitting idle at home. Business is not moving, and we can’t repay the loan, but the banks are putting pressure on us.”
“As I speak, I haven’t made a single sale today — not even N100 — and I don’t know what I will eat. Our children also have no work to do. We are all hungry.”
The secrecy surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project continues to raise concerns among citizens, with growing calls for greater transparency, environmental accountability, and community involvement.
Whether the government and project contractors will respond to these concerns remains to be seen.