Coastal Highway: Umahi Decries Vandalism, 105km Pavement Set for Completion

FG threatens to shut road over rising deaths, damage Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Bennett Oghifo in Lagos The Minister of Works, David Umahi, yesterday disclosed that the main pavement of the first 105 kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would be completed by November 2026, even as he decried the vandalism of public infrastructure along the project corridor. Umahi disclosed this in Abuja when he received the report of the Northwest leg of the nationwide Federal Roads Project Tour conducted by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), led by its President, Akinteye Afeez. He said the pace of construction on the coastal highway was unprecedented, noting that work was continuing on bridges along sections one and two of the project. “And so, the speed on that coastal highway is unprecedented. We are still building bridges in these sections one and two. Even though for this Section 1, the bridges in Section 1 are part of Section 2 project. But for the main pavement, 105 kilometres, the main pavement will be completed by November this year. This is very important,” Umahi said. However, the minister expressed concern over the destruction of infrastructure around the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, particularly at the Apapa axis, warning that vandalism could undermine the benefits of government’s investments in major infrastructure projects.He said he was shocked by the extent of damage to infrastructure under the bridge in the area, including the destruction of structural elements and the use of spaces around the bridge by heavy-duty vehicles. “I wept when I saw the level of destruction under the bridge in the Apapa axis. People even pass through the piers, trailers high over the piers to pass from one point to another. This mind-boggling damage, this is unacceptable,” he said. Umahi said the cutting of metals and destruction of block works could not be justified as development, stressing that public infrastructure represented an investment in the country’s future. “That is not development, and to put the blame on the general public, that’s not development,” he said. The minister’s comments came as NANS presented its findings from the Northwest leg of its inspection of federal road projects across Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Sokoto states. The students’ body said the exercise was designed to physically assess the state of federal road projects, particularly those providing access to tertiary institutions and student communities, and to provide feedback based on firsthand observations. Among the roads inspected were the Kano-Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road, Kano Northern Bypass, Kano-Maiduguri Road, Kano-Katsina Road, Kaduna-Kano Road, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, Zaria-Funtua-Sokoto Road, Mando-Birnin Gwari Road, Sokoto-Badagry Road and Illela-Dukamaje Road. Umahi reiterated the commitment of the federal government to completing ongoing road projects across the country, saying President Bola Tinubu was determined to see them through. “All these projects, some are completed as you have noticed, some are ongoing, show that Mr. President is very intentional in getting all of them completed. They’ll all be completed,” he said. The minister also urged Nigerians to protect public infrastructure, warning that the destruction of roads, bridges and other facilities undermined the country’s development. He said the NANS inspection was particularly useful because it enabled students to see government projects firsthand and form their assessments based on physical evidence rather than relying solely on information provided through official channels. The leadership of NANS specifically recommended the construction of a pedestrian bridge at the Federal Co-operative College in Kaduna along the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano route, citing the need to improve the safety of students crossing the highway. In its report, NANS said it was impressed by the scale, spread, quality and pace of federal road projects inspected across the Northwest. It said several of the roads were particularly important to students because they linked tertiary institutions with surrounding communities and major urban centres. The association described the Kano Northern Bypass as significant because of its connection to 10 tertiary institutions in the region, while it identified the Kano-Maiduguri Road as a critical route serving communities and institutions, including Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil. NANS also commended the reconstruction of the 122.89-kilometre Mando-Birnin Gwari Federal Highway in Kaduna State, describing it as strategically important for inter-state connectivity. Meanwhile, the federal government has threatened to shut down the Lagos section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway within two weeks if motorists and other road users fail to comply with safety regulations amid rising deaths, vandalism and illegal activities. Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olufemi Dare, issued the warning yesterday, citing rampant speeding, illegal parking by articulated vehicles, unauthorised U-turns, motorcycle and tricycle operations, roadside trading, animal grazing and vandalism of critical infrastructure.Dare, who spoke during a press briefing on the highway, said the Minister of Works had directed that the road could be closed if the situation did not improve within two weeks. He said an alternative route, the Lekki-Epe Expressway, was available to motorists. The Lagos section of the coastal highway comprises two sections, with Section One stretching 47.474 kilometres from the end of Ahmadu Bello Way to Eleko Junction, while Section Two runs 56 kilometres from Eleko to Ode-Omi, the Lagos-Ogun boundary. Dare said the entire stretch within Lagos State was about 103 kilometres. He disclosed that although the road itself in Section One had been completed, 10 bridges were still under construction, warning motorists against treating the highway as a completed road. “People come onto the Coastal Road and drive at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour while bridge construction is ongoing,” he said.According to him, the prescribed speed limit is 30km per hour, but motorists routinely drive at 100km per hour or more. “Lives are being lost on the Coastal Road almost every other day. This must stop,” he said. The Federal Controller also announced a crackdown on trucks and trailers parked along the highway, saying drivers often abandon their vehicles on the road and sleep inside them. He said the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, had agreed to massively increase police deployment along the highway. Dare warned that trucks parked on the road would be clamped and towed away, while operators would face enforcement action. He also banned illegal U-turns, Okadas and tricycles, including Keke Maruwa, on the coastal highway. According to him, more than 100 motorcycles were arrested on the highway in the previous week alone. The government also declared a crackdown on roadside hawking, illegal settlements, shanties, destitute persons and animal grazing along the route. Dare said at least 10 locations had been identified as illegal settlements, warning that some had become potential hideouts for criminals. Of particular concern, he said, was widespread vandalism of road infrastructure. He disclosed that about five kilometres of clear-view fencing had been removed, while manhole covers covering an 18-kilometre stretch from kilometre zero to kilometre 18 had also been stolen. Directional signs, he added, were being dismantled because they were made of iron.“These people come at night and remove the clear-view fence used to barricade communities from the Coastal Highway. They cut it and carry it away,” he said. Dare said the government was also considering replacing vulnerable clear-view fencing with blockwork because steel fences were being vandalised shortly after installation. He disclosed that some coastal guards had been attacked, with two reportedly stabbed.Meanwhile, the government is preparing to clear truck congestion around Deep Sea Port and other locations to prevent the area from becoming another Apapa. Dare said a 14-day ultimatum issued to truck operators had expired and that the Joint Task Force would commence enforcement this week. “We don’t want that place to be turned into another Apapa,” he said.