This Saturday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to officially launch the much-talked-about Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway — a project that has sparked widespread debate over its massive cost, slow progress, and timing amid Nigeria’s biting economic hardship.
The 750-kilometre superhighway, which will connect Lagos to Calabar through several coastal states, is estimated to cost nearly ₦3 trillion.
This means according analysis by JNews, each kilometre of the road will cost about ₦4 billion, as previously revealed by Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, during an interview with TVC which was monitored by JNews.
So far, only “30 kilometres” of the road have been completed since Tinubu took office two years ago — a pace critics have described as sluggish and symbolic rather than substantive.
But the government defends the project, arguing that it is a strategic national investment that will unlock Nigeria’s economic potential and boost job creation for youth.
“This project is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to transform infrastructure and open up the economy,” said Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo, in an interview with BBC Hausa which was equally monitored by JNews.
Goronyo added that the road will ease transportation, facilitate trade, and improve access to basic services along the southern corridor.
“Commissioning a road is different from completing it. It’s common to commission even before the full work is done,” he said in response to concerns about inaugurating a road that is less than 5% completed.
Investment or Political Show?
Despite government justifications, critics and economists see the project as a political move rather than a realistic infrastructural gain, especially given the high costs and slow pace.
“Only 30 kilometres in two years? That raises serious questions about value for money and project planning,” said one economic analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.
Unique Road Design
The Minister further explained that the road is not a conventional one. It includes landscaping, solar-powered streetlights, and provisions for a “rail line at the median” — part of a long-term vision to integrate rail and road transport.
“This administration decided the road should be built with concrete instead of asphalt to ensure higher durability of up to 20 years,” Goronyo said.
‘Other Projects Underway’
In addition to the Lagos-Calabar highway, the government says it is working on other major roads like the Sokoto-Lagos-Badagry corridor, which will pass through states including Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, and Ogun before reaching Lagos.
Goronyo also mentioned the continuation of work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria expressway and inherited projects such as the Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto road.
“Since coming to office, we have completed nearly 260 projects out of over 2,600 we inherited. So this is not just about Lagos-Calabar,” the Minister noted.
Citizens Still Skeptical
Despite the ambitious plans, many Nigerians remain skeptical about the project’s viability and relevance at a time when inflation, debt, and poverty are at record highs.
The government is being questioned for embarking on such a monumental project when public services like healthcare and education are still underfunded.
