- Umahi urged Niger Delta voters to support Tinubu in 2027
- He said construction has moved beyond Lagos into several states
- The minister expressed confidence in the project’s completion
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has called on people in the Niger Delta to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that continuity is essential to completing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that Umahi made the appeal while inspecting Section 4B of the coastal highway in Ondo State. He was responding to concerns raised by former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, who had questioned whether the project would extend beyond Epe in Lagos State.
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The minister dismissed the concerns, saying construction had already advanced into several states along the coastal route.
According to Umahi, work is currently ongoing on 28 kilometres of dual carriageway in Ogun State, 52 kilometres in Ondo, 27 kilometres in Calabar and an additional 47-kilometre section in Akwa Ibom.
He added that construction had also begun on a 180-kilometre stretch in Akwa Ibom, describing it as the longest section of the project.
“It is up to Niger Delta people to speak up for this project. They should defend it. They should defend the President. They must vote for the President to complete it,” Umahi said.
The minister described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a major component of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope infrastructure programme, saying the project would improve connectivity, create employment and stimulate economic activities across communities along the route.
He noted that more than 1,000 people had already secured direct and indirect employment through construction activities in one section of the project.
Umahi also rejected allegations that the highway’s route was changed to benefit private estates. He explained that an earlier alignment was abandoned because of technical and financial challenges, including deep soil deposits and the need to construct several long bridges across ocean channels.
“That option was not feasible. It would have been too expensive,” he said.
On financing, the minister described the project as one of the Federal Government’s most transparent infrastructure initiatives. He said Deutsche Bank, which is financing the first section, had expressed confidence in the project’s design and construction and had oversubscribed the loan facility by $100 million.
Umahi praised Hitech Construction Company for its work and engagement with host communities, expressing confidence that the highway would be completed under Tinubu.
He also encouraged Nigerians to continue offering constructive criticism, saying the government remained open to suggestions that could improve the project and governance generally.
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