Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has dismissed claims by former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway might not extend beyond Epe in Lagos State.
He insisted that construction has already advanced well beyond the Lagos axis and is progressing simultaneously across several states.
A statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to the Minister, Mr. Francis Nwaze, quoted him speaking during an inspection of Section 4B of the highway in Ondo State.
Umahi said the flagship infrastructure project of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is steadily taking shape, creating employment, improving security and opening new economic opportunities.
According to the minister, developments on the ground have disproved earlier scepticism about the project’s feasibility.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is already on course. We have gone beyond the point my brother Donald Duke talked about,” Umahi said.
He explained that construction is ongoing in multiple locations, including 28 kilometres in Ogun State, 52 kilometres in Ondo State, 27 kilometres in Cross River State and about 47 kilometres in the first section of Akwa Ibom State, where work is already over 60 per cent complete.
Umahi added that work has also commenced on the 180-kilometre dual carriageway section in Akwa Ibom, the longest stretch of the project.
The Minister described the coastal highway as more than a transportation project, saying it is already transforming communities through job creation, enhanced security and expanded economic activities.
He disclosed that more than 1,000 people have been employed by HITECH Construction Company on the Ondo section alone, while many others have benefited indirectly through related businesses and community engagements.
While welcoming criticism of government projects, the minister urged critics to offer practical alternatives.
“If you want to criticise us, let it be constructive and provide better options,” he said.
Umahi reaffirmed President Tinubu’s commitment to completing the highway, expressing confidence that the administration would deliver the project as promised.
He also called on people of the Niger Delta to support the initiative, describing it as a transformative investment that would reshape the region’s economic future.
According to him, opposition to the project does not represent the interests of the people who stand to benefit most from it.
The minister further described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as one of Nigeria’s most transparent and economically prudent infrastructure projects, revealing that international financiers commended both its engineering design and procurement process.
(The Whistler)