• SAN says communities risk losing economic benefits of project
• Atiku alleges pressure on NASS to approve fresh $20b loan

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway realignment has sparked controversy, with Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urging President Bola Tinubu to protect coastal communities from exclusion, while the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) queried the project’s original plan, demanding accountability.

The concerns followed Umahi’s explanation that the realignment was necessary to address flooding and climate-related risks.

The minister reportedly said that Tinubu had approved the use of the existing East-West Road for the stretch from the Ondo State boundary into Edo State, instead of continuing with a new coastal alignment.

Umahi put the affected corridor at approximately 104 kilometres, including a proposed 45-kilometre bypass, and said sections of the existing road would need to be raised by about two metres to address flooding.

Adegboruwa, in a statement dated October 12, 2026, called on the President to direct the Federal Ministry of Works to explain the approved route and disclose the coastal communities that would be served or bypassed by the highway.

He said that moving sections of the highway inland could undermine its original objective of connecting communities and economic centres along Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline.

The lawyer said the project, officially flagged off in May 2024, was presented by the Federal Government as a 700-kilometre corridor intended to unlock economic opportunities across coastal states.

He maintained that the reported deviation raised questions about the extent to which communities in Ondo and Delta states would benefit from the infrastructure.

According to him, the people of Ilaje and other coastal settlements in Ondo, as well as communities in Delta, depend on coastal resources and waterways for fishing, transportation and others.

He said excluding such communities from direct access to the highway could limit opportunities for local businesses.

However, Umahi has said that the Federal Government has no regret over its decisions on the Ondo section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Umahi stated this in Abuja while giving an update on the Federal Government’s legacy road projects, particularly the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

He said the decisions concerning the Ondo section were based on sound engineering considerations and aimed at ensuring the successful delivery of the project.

Meanwhile, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that pressure is being mounted on the National Assembly to approve a loan of up to $20 billion linked to coastal highway payments.

The ADC presidential candidate added that President Bola Tinubu’s decision to reroute parts of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has raised questions over the original approval, contract award and payments made for the project.

Atiku, in a statement by Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, demanded that the Federal Government should publish the full details of the project and address the alleged borrowing plan.

Adegboruwa described the reported realignment as a potential setback to the development aspirations of the affected communities, insisting that the project should be assessed not only by the kilometres constructed but also by its contribution to coastal connectivity and regional development.

The lawyer, while acknowledging that the Federal Government had cited difficult terrain, weak subsoil conditions, construction costs and flood resilience as considerations in reviewing parts of the route, said such challenges should prompt a transparent evaluation of alternatives rather than the automatic abandonment of coastal access.

He urged the government to commission a comparative assessment of the original and revised alignments, covering construction and maintenance costs, journey times, environmental implications, employment opportunities and the distribution of economic benefits among affected states.

The lawyer further urged Tinubu to convene a stakeholders’ meeting involving the Federal Government, the governments of Ondo and Delta states, traditional rulers, community representatives, engineers, environmental experts and investors before major changes to the alignment are finalised.

He said that where engineering, environmental or economic considerations made it impracticable to retain the coastal route, the government should provide complementary access roads and supporting infrastructure to prevent affected settlements from being isolated from the benefits of the project.

HURIWA, which questioned why flooding and climate risks, which should have featured prominently in the original design, were now being cited as major reasons for changing the route, stated: “How can government embark on a multibillion-naira coastal highway project without adequately resolving fundamental questions about flooding, environmental risks and the most suitable route? Who approved the original plans, and who will take responsibility if avoidable errors are established?”

HURIWA said the government must establish whether the necessary technical assessments were conducted before public funds were committed to the original alignment.

Umahi added that Section Two, covering 55 kilometres, would have its pavement completed by November, while construction of major flyovers, underpasses and overpasses would continue.

The minister, who attributed some delays in the construction of the flyovers to extensive subsoil investigations, redesigns and the need to accommodate heavy trucks serving the Dangote Refinery, said the ministry had also redesigned a major flyover to resolve a conflict involving the deep seaport railway, refinery service routes and other road networks.

Umahi said work had advanced from the Lagos starting point into Ondo State, while construction was simultaneously progressing from the Calabar end in line with President Tinubu’s directive that the administration’s four legacy road projects should commence from both ends.

He disclosed that more than 40 per cent of the relevant section at the Calabar end had been completed, while Section Five, covering 62.5 kilometres in Akwa Ibom State, had recorded over 20 per cent progress within three months of commencement.

According to the minister, the simultaneous execution of different sections is intended to accelerate delivery and ensure that construction activities are not concentrated in a single location.

He said the government was also pursuing complementary road infrastructure investments to improve connectivity and address persistent flooding challenges along major transport corridors in the Niger Delta.

Umahi, however, disclosed that the Ministry of Works had sought the President’s approval to incorporate an additional 400 kilometres of the road, stretching from Edo State through Akwa Ibom to Cross River State.