The Federal Government’s multi-billion-naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway is facing a fresh threat from alleged vandalism, with individuals reportedly caught removing construction materials from the project site.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Works on Media,
Francis Nwaze, who raised the alarm in a statement on Thursday, described the development as an attack on a major national investment and a setback to efforts to improve infrastructure across the country.
Nwaze said the incident was particularly disturbing because it occurred only days after the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, inaugurated the Coastal Highway Guards in Lagos to strengthen security around the project and other critical infrastructure along the route.
He said the alleged removal of construction materials could delay the project, increase construction costs and create safety risks, ultimately affecting communities and Nigerians expected to benefit from the highway.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway is one of the major infrastructure projects being delivered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Federal Ministry of Works,” Nwaze said.
According to him, the highway is designed to improve connectivity, stimulate economic activities, open up communities and facilitate the movement of people and goods along Nigeria’s coastline.
He urged Nigerians to see public infrastructure as collective property and take responsibility for protecting projects in their communities.
Nwaze said citizens should report suspicious activities rather than ignore the vandalisation of public projects, stressing that government alone could not protect every piece of infrastructure without public cooperation.
“Government must build. Contractors must deliver. Security agencies must protect. And citizens must take responsibility,” he said.
He added that the success of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway should not be left to the government alone, adding that Nigerians would ultimately be the users and beneficiaries of the project.
(The Whistler)