The president had commissioned the “completed” 30km sections in an elaborate ceremony attended by governors and other prominent figures on May 31, 2025 in Lagos. In attendance were Governors of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Delta, Sheriff Oborevwori; Ogun, Prince Deji Abiodun; Edo, Senator Monday Okpebholo; Bayelsa, Senator Douye Diri; Borno, Prof. Babagana Zulum; Ekiti, Biodun Oyebanji; Kogi, Ahmed Ododo; Ondo, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Cross River, Bassey Otu and Hope Uzodimma of Imo State.
The event was also attended by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chairman Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman of BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu, and others.
“It is with great pleasure, pride and a sense of fulfilment that I stand here today to commission the completed part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Corridor,” the president declared in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
“This is Phase I: Section I: Ahmadu Bello Way to Eleko Village Area in the Lekki Peninsula, a section of the 700km iconic project spanning the coastal areas of Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River States’, he said.
However, a tour of the entire Section 1 of the road by two of our correspondents, in August, revealed that about an 18km stretch had been completed to a large extent from Victoria Island, instead of the 20km claimed by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
Also, from the Eleko end of Section 1, where 10km was commissioned as completed, our correspondents observed that only about 7km had been paved with concrete, while the other parts were still being graded or reinforced with bars.
A trip along the highway
As the sun’s rays began to caress the beautiful Atlantic Ocean straddling Ahmadu Bello Way, our correspondents arrived at the beginning of the coastal highway in a cab at about 8.30 am on Friday, August 15.
The entrance was barricaded and manned by armed soldiers who turned back commuters and only allowed some exotic vehicles to access the road. After failed attempts, our reporters eventually gained access to the road through one of the alternative routes within the neighbourhood.
From Ahmadu Bello Way, the dual carriageway offers a smooth driving experience, exuding coastal splendor and artful layout of streetlights installed in the median strip. Flanked by high-rise buildings, the beautiful scenery of the highway became more evident as the journey progressed, with pockets of commercial activities by locals along the corridor keeping the road lively.
Each section of the road is marked with a chainage – an imaginary line surveyors use to measure distance – which is equivalent to a kilometre, according to several construction workers at the site who declined further comments. However, not every chainage has a signpost that signifies the number of kilometres travelled.
As the cab glided gently on the reinforced concrete road for several kilometres, it was observed that some parts of the walkway had not been paved. At a spot in the New Road area of the Lekki axis, which a construction worker approached by our correspondents designated as Kilometre 10, the road had not been paved due to an ongoing bridge construction, as the traffic was diverted to a sandy lane.
From the flyover, a vast stretch of the dual carriageway was graded earth, unpaved. After about a five-minute drive that left a pall of dust behind the car, the journey was considerably alive again with completed lanes overlooking some unfinished paths on both carriageways. The road was largely paved up to Chainage 18 in the Okun Ajah area, where blocks of barricades put a complete restriction on vehicular movement.
Our correspondents took a motorcycle popularly known as Okada to explore the remaining part of the commissioned 30km. From the Okun Ajah area, the journey took an unpleasant turn. A very long stretch of the road was swampy, muddy and waterlogged. Sand filling of the lengthy plain was still in progress as trucks conveying construction materials passed by at intervals.
The motorcycle almost skidded as the rider struggled to navigate the completely marshy part of the road. It got stuck at a spot, forcing our correspondents to disembark and trudge along the wetland for about 200 metres to catch up with the motorcyclist at a relatively dry spot.
From Chainage 25 to 30 onward, heavy-duty trucks dotted the highway as work was at different stages. A part of the road had been paved; some lanes were undergoing casting, while several sections were being sand-filled.
When contacted for comments on the staggered and incomplete pavement of the commissioned 30km, the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja told this paper to put its inquiry in writing.
However, since the letter, a copy of which was acknowledged, was submitted at its head office on August 20, 2025, the ministry has yet to respond.
Controversy around the project
The coastal highway was awarded to Hitech Construction Company, founded by Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-Nigerian businessman, who Tinubu said assisted him to “tame the Atlantic,” threatening to consume Lagos when the latter was governor of the state. The project, which began in March 2024, is in three sections.
Sections 1 and 2 skirt Lagos to the border between Ogun and Ondo, while Section 3A and 3B run through Calabar and Akwa-Ibom, respectively. Section 1, financed by $747m loan from Deutsche Bank, is billed for completion by January 2026, while the entire project would span eight years, according to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
Umahi said the legacy project would provide direct employment to thousands during construction and create economic opportunities for millions of Nigerians upon its completion. He further explained that the project would enhance access to production and marketing centres for over 30 million people by bridging the gap between rural and urban areas, adding that it would provide direct access to under-utilised waterways, promote the establishment and expansion of maritime industries.
However, the project, estimated at $11–13 billion (N15.6 trillion) for $15.7–17.9 million per kilometre, has attracted criticism from top opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
Atiku had called out the federal government for allegedly awarding the contract to Chagoury’s Hitech without competitive bidding, challenging President Tinubu to disclose the full cost of the project. He also questioned the government’s release of N1.06trn for Section 1 of the project.
But responding to Atiku, the minister of works said the road is being constructed at a cost of N4 billion (N2.8trn in total) per kilometre, as against N8bn reportedly claimed by Atiku. He explained that Hitech was invited by the ministry based on the company’s pedigree to construct the roads, admitting that there was no public bidding process for the project.
“We followed all procurement acts and the act permits the Federal Ministry of Works to invite a company that has specialised skill in a particular work…of course, we ran it through the Bureau of Public Procurement and of course also to the Federal Executive Council. So it followed due process,” Umahi had said.
On his part, Obi said the project was ill-timed and the government should have channeled the funds to fix bad and uncompleted roads, which have become death traps across the country.
Among the roads Obi listed are: Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, Sokoto-Funtua-Zaria road, Kano-Hadejia road, Kano-Damaturu-Maiduguri road, Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari road, Potiskum- Fika-Bajoga-Gombe-Biu road, Lagos-Badagry road, Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha-Osogbo road; Itoikin- Ijebu Ode-Ibadan road, Ibadan-Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani Junction road, Offa-Erinle-Osun border road, the 9th Mile-Otukpo-Makurdi-Enugu Port Harcourt road; Onitsha-Awka-Enugu road; Onitsha-Owerri-Umuahia road, Benin- Sapele –Warri road, East-West road, Yenegwe Road Junction–Kolo–Otuoke road, Sapele-Agbor-Ewu road, and Benin-Akure-Ore-Ife road.
“Most of these roads, vital for economic growth, regional connectivity and overall development, have been under construction for several years now and are unlikely to be completed shortly due to poor funding,” Obi had said.
Lawal described the coastal highway as a “scam,” dismissing its relevance on the grounds of poor existing roads and mounting public debt.
Underground water, mountainous terrain slow work in Calabar
Section 3A of the coastal highway begins at Awi community in the Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, a forested area renowned for farming, hunting expeditions, and mining activities by locals.
One of our correspondents who visited the site recently found that little progress had been made in the project due to the challenging topographical composition of the area, including mountainous terrain and underground water.
One of the engineers at the construction site, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he did not have authority to speak, lamented that these challenges have seriously slowed down work.
“We don’t really have finance issues, although I’m not competent to speak on that. Our biggest challenges are the difficult topography of this section of the road. We have the challenge of underground water, which keeps surging. Coupled with the continual rainfalls, this has really slowed the progress of work. We would have gone farther than this. We also have another serious challenge of rough, stony, and mountainous terrains,” he said.
The engineer said they were trying to find a means to channel the underground water for work to continue, expressing doubt that the road section would be completed within the specified 36-month period.
So far, work is still at a stage described by the engineer as “stone-based work and filling,” after massive clearing of more than 20 kilometres. “The next action will be to pave the dual carriageway,” he added.
Our correspondent could see that construction and other allied workers, including heavy-duty machinery, such as earthmoving equipment, were active.
Hundreds of timbers had been uprooted, as some vehicles were seen excavating earth and other minerals.
The federal controller of works in the state, Engr. Yinka Onafuye, said the federal government had approved compensation to be paid to landowners who had been verified and documented.
He acknowledged that the rains had led to an increase in underground water in the axis, adding that they would continue to work with the earlier soil tests conducted before the contract was signed.
The Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu, had appealed to the federal government to kick-start construction from both the Calabar and Lagos ends simultaneously.
Otu expressed happiness that the federal government eventually heeded his appeal that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway should commence simultaneously from both ends of Calabar and Lagos. He called on the government to hire many competent engineers and contractors to handle the project to ensure swift completion.
A/Ibom communities demand compensation
The Akwa Ibom section of the highway cuts across three local government areas of Nsit Atai, Okobo and Uruan. The construction was flagged off in April, but not much progress has been made as the site is still being cleared and propped.
The construction begins from Okobo and is expected to link Calabar in Cross River State through the Itu head bridge. Our correspondent, who visited the Uruan axis of the highway, noticed that trucks were still moving sand in and out of the site.
Notably, locals, who lost their livelihood, ancestral landmarks, economic trees, and crops to the road construction, lamented that they had not been compensated.
Patricia Okon, an indigene of Ndon Ebom, a village in Uruan LGA, whose farmland was affected by the construction, said all the plants they cultivated at the beginning of the planting season early this year were destroyed.
“Cassava farms ripe for harvest were destroyed. Initially, they had promised to wait for us to harvest the cassava before they took over the lands but suddenly, they came and destroyed the farms without notice.
“We cultivated the farms this year, and they brought in their trucks in May to destroy the crops. My farmland was affected. I have just one plot of land, but people with several plots of land were affected. Many palm plantations were affected, some of them with palm fruits ripe for harvest. They first came and harvested the ripe palm fruits before destroying the farms,” she explained.
Okon, who said many farmers wept when the trucks and bulldozers were brought in to clear their farms, mentioned that the most affected were owners of large and multiple plots of land within the road axis.
Documentation process
Findings by Daily Trust revealed that before the farms were cleared for construction, owners were identified and made to stand within their lands. They were photographed, while the size of each farm and its owner were documented. They were also made to submit their bank account details and two passport photographs each.
Narrating the documentation process, Okon said, “When they came, they made owners of palm plantations stand on their farms to identify who owns what. They took our pictures and collected two passports each from us. They also collected our phone numbers and bank accounts. They wrote down the size of each land owner and told us that when it was time to pay, we would be informed.”
Even with the documentation, Okon said the valuers informed the landowners that the documentation process would not automatically translate to payment, as only farms with economic trees and crops would be paid compensation.
Corroborating the claim, another land owner, Augustine Okon, said, “They marked economic trees like Malina and palm trees for payment. They said they would not pay for lands that were bare and had no plants on them. They claimed the land belongs to the government and was not marked for payment.
“They marked lands with crops like plantain, maize, water leaf, and pumpkin leaves for payment, but said they would only pay a little for farms where cassava was planted”.
The village head of Ndon Ebom, Chief Augustine Effiong, said that though the community was fortunate to have the road pass through it, the road seemed to be more of a curse than a blessing, lamenting that the community farms, which were a source of livelihood to the villagers, had been lost due to the road construction.
Effiong added that the construction had adversely affected other internal roads, especially with the heavy rainfall.
“We have not been paid compensation. They have not paid for economic trees. They just came and opened up the road and promised that they would pay after a few months. Now, it has been about six months, and we have not received compensation.
“We don’t have internal roads again in the community. The rain has spoiled all our internal roads; we don’t have access roads again because of the heavy rainy season.
“We want to appeal to the government to pay compensation to the owners of the land and owners of economic crops. We appeal to the federal government to pay us adequate compensation for the land it acquired for the highway. The economic crops have been destroyed, and we don’t have land to farm again.
“People planted fresh farm products, but up till today, they have not been paid for the crops. We are in hardship, there is a serious problem, there is serious crying, people are complaining bitterly,” he stated.
Compensation will be paid soon –Controller of works
Reacting to the calls for payment of compensation, the Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, Akwa Ibom State, Engr Okoduwa Vincent, assured the affected communities that payment would be made once all the necessary arrangements for a seamless payment process were ready.
“The consultant for the projects, that is the valuer, has actually gone to the site to capture all claimants. Presently, we are awaiting approval, which may come anytime soon. When I say anytime soon, we are talking about the next month.
“Whenever we get approval, there’s always a process because this time around it’s not business as usual. We will have to engage an attorney to pay compensation. According to the instructions from the Honourable Minister, the payments will be made directly to the claimants through the contractor,” he said.
Vincent explained that the Federal Ministry of Works is collaborating with the Akwa Ibom State Government to ensure that all landowners affected by the road construction are properly identified and paid personally.
According to him, the collaboration will ensure that land claimants are genuine, and the payment process is transparent and properly documented to avoid denials in the future.
“As soon as we get approval, we are going to set up a committee that will involve the Ministry of Lands. I think the ministry will nominate some people from land officers and land planners, and others because they are the owners of the land. We have to involve them, so there is a need for them to work with us.
“The state government will take us to the corridors, and they will make payment. It has to be open payment. It’s not something we have to hide. What I want to encourage them is that they should be patient, it is coming very soon,” he added.
The controller, however, said the government would determine the amount to be paid to each landowner.
“The federal government has statutory prices for some of these things. As owners, you don’t have to tag prices to those things. Some of them tie shrines to N10 million. There’s a formula for it. There is a price from the Ministry of Lands. We are not the ones generating it. Whatever you are entitled to, even if it is a cassava farm, you will be paid at that rate. If it’s a shrine and there is a rate tied to it, that is what you will be paid,” he stated.
He noted that complaints of sharp practices where some persons made a photo capture of themselves on lands that did not belong to them would be addressed by the stakeholders committee that would be constituted to ensure that the bona fide owner of a land or structure gets their compensation, and not the wrong person.
On the duration of the construction, the controller said, “We have a time lapse of 36 months from when they started till now. They are on site, doing as much as they can because of the rain. They are even trying to use expensive materials. Instead of using the normal laterite, they are using sharp sand. It’s going to be a concrete road; they are going to continuously reinforce concrete.”
