OPINION: Much Ado About The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway 

By Edafe Martin

The flag-off of the much-touted super highway, the 700-kilometre, 10-lane Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway, by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, May 26, in Victoria Island, Lagos was an historic occasion, considering that the project had been planned since Nigeria’s independence.

The first phase of the project, consisting of 47.47 kilometres of dual carriageway, with five lanes on each side and a train track running through the middle, will facilitate both vehicular and rail transport. 

But history was lost majorly on critics of the landmark project as they ferried the controversies from the alleged demolition of structures along the highway corridor through online and offline rumour trains.

One of the controversies was the perceived lack of transparency in the award and the project cost. The project was awarded to Hitech Construction Company Ltd, which started the construction of the highway in March.

It needs to be reemphasized that the federal government will not bear the entire contract sum of N15 trillion as it is being built under a contractor finance scheme, while the contractor (Hitech) was selected based on its reputation and ability to fund the project under the EPC+F model. 

In the same vein, the Coastal Road corridor in the Phase One of the project has been laid out in an earlier plan and is within the government’s right of way from the coast. On the allegation of demolition of structure, it needs to be clarified that due compensation has been and is being paid promptly to people and businesses whose property have been acquired for the project, while all affected property owners will be compensated promptly. 

Aside from this, there have been regular stakeholder meetings to ensure that bottlenecks are addressed on time, and the Federal ministry of works is diligently supervising the road project to ensure standards are met. Under the Ministry of Works, led by the Minister, Engr Dave Umahi, the supervision of the project is literally in competent and capable hands. 

Umahi’s stellar track records as former Ebonyi State Governor is there for all to see. As two-term governor, he has shown passion and professional commitment towards development of infrastructures for the benefit of the people. He is the best man to further drive the infrastructure agenda of the current administration and undertake bold oversight on the project contractors. 

It goes without saying that the Federal ministry of works is diligently supervising the road project to ensure world-class standards are met. The 700-kilometre coastal highway will transverse eight states, starting from Lagos, will pass through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, before terminating in Calabar, capital of Cross River State.

The estimated cost of the project will also potentially provide massive jobs for construction workers on the corridor across the nine coastal states, and contribute a great deal to the subnational GDPs, and the national GDP in general.

Again, it is pertinent to state that the project in the long term will further boost the country’s economic development. For instance, it will spurs from Badagry to Sokoto on the Western flank and to Maiduguri on the Eastern flank, creating a national ring-road expressway that will improve investments, logistics, travel and tourism across the country. 

Also, on completion in the expected 96 months-time frame, the project will attract an estimated N165 trillion, to the nine states along its corridor, this estimate being the size of the economy of the area directly covered as at 2020 GDP valuation. Imagine if you were a businessman and asked to contribute to a project with a 1,000 per cent profit margin after a few years. 

The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway makes economic sense and will benefit all Nigerians for many years, even after the President Bola Tinubu’s administration has completed its terms.

Currently, Nigeria has the fourth largest economy in Africa, with about $252.74 billion. The Lagos-Calabar coastal has the potential to increase the country’s GDP significantly and make it not only Africa’s largest economy but also competing with the GDP of more developed countries. 

This is because a 100 per cent GDP growth is projected to arise from the coastal highway largely from unlocking economic opportunities in Nigeria’s energy, maritime and tourism sectors.

Also, the coastal highway will connect six existing seaports, important gateways to global supply chains, and international trade markets, which is expected to improve logistics for shippers and transporters and earn revenue for the country. 

Not only that, about 30 million people in rural and sub-urban communities in the nine states will be positively impacted by the road through direct employment and small businesses. These small businesses and opportunities will spring up around the six number of existing and new highway corridors the road will connect. They include the A1, A2, A3, and A4 highway corridors vertically crossing the western, central and eastern regions of the country, north to south. 

While the A1 starts from Ojota through the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to Birnin Konnii in Niger Republic, the A2 starts at Port Harcourt to Benin and ends in Kano. Then, the A3, starts at the same point in Port Harcourt and terminates in Maiduguri, and the A4 runs from Calabar to Maiduguri. 

Additionally, there is the new Badagry-Sokoto highway and the new Trans-Sahara superhighway from the East to the north. Without doubt, the potential for growth is huge and transformative for millions of Nigerians who live and work along these corridors. This would also serve as a massive boost for the country’s export.

It must be stated that the road project is not an isolated greenfield project, despite the fact that the coastal belt could be described as the economic pivot of the nation’s economy. It is the first of a number of groundbreaking interrelated transport infrastructure under consideration, which includes the Lagos – Sokoto highway, which is a spur from the coastal road.

Since he came into office, President Tinubu has displayed firm commitment to improving the country’s infrastructure and its economic fortunes. His administration is fully committed to its transformative agenda to spur national prosperity. 

The 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway is a major part of this renewed hope mandate. Let’s not get it twisted, despite the unfounded criticisms, the coastal highway project is a win-win for the Nigerian people. 

Edafe Martin, a public commentator/analyst, writes from Abuja