Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has firmly dismissed concerns raised by former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway might not progress beyond Epe in Lagos State, declaring that the project has already advanced beyond the area and is simultaneously under construction across five states. Umahi made the remarks on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, during an inspection of Section 4B of the highway in Ondo State, according to a statement issued on Thursday, August 6, by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze.
Responding directly to Duke's recent television interview, in which the former governor questioned the viability and priority of the 700‑kilometre coastal highway, Umahi said: "I watched the interview of His Excellency Donald Duke. He is a very brilliant man. What impressed me most was that he avoided insults. He was a perfect gentleman, and I am proud of him. However, some of the issues he raised require clarification. When he said the Coastal Highway would never go beyond Epe, I respectfully disagree." The minister, a former governor of Ebonyi State, insisted that President Bola Tinubu would deliver the project as scheduled and dismissed criticism of the highway as "motivated by envy because they never believed this President could deliver it." He described Tinubu as "the man who tamed the Atlantic Ocean" and called him a "divine President."
Providing a detailed breakdown of the project's progress, Umahi said Section 1, spanning 7.47 kilometres from Victoria Island to Elepe village, has already been completed, while Section 2, a 50‑kilometre stretch from Lagos to the Ogun border, is about 70 per cent complete. Sections 3A and 3B, covering about 67 kilometres, are approximately 30 per cent complete. Section 4 covers about 82 kilometres, extending through Ogun into Ondo State. "The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is already on. We have sailed past Lagos that my brother Donald Duke talked about," Umahi declared. "We are on in Ogun — 28 kilometres of dual carriageway. We are on in Ondo — 52 kilometres of dual carriageway. We are also on in Calabar — 27 kilometres. In Akwa Ibom, the first section is about 47 kilometres. Those ones are over 60 per cent done." He added that construction had commenced on the longest stretch of the project, a 180‑kilometre dual carriageway section in Akwa Ibom State, and that another 100‑kilometre section beginning at the end of the Ondo section is currently at the design stage.
Umahi urged residents of the Niger Delta to support the project, stating that their votes for President Tinubu in 2027 would be necessary for its completion. "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," he said. The minister also defended the highway's alignment against allegations that it had been diverted inland to favour private estates, explaining that the original coastal route was abandoned because of technical difficulties, including deep soil deposits of up to 50 metres and the need to construct three bridges of about 3.5 kilometres each across ocean channels. "That option was not feasible. It would have been too expensive," he said.
Addressing concerns over funding, Umahi described the project as one of the most transparent infrastructure initiatives undertaken by the Federal Government. He said Deutsche Bank, which is financing Section 1 of the highway, had described the design and construction as being "in perfection" and had oversubscribed the loan facility by $100 million. The minister commended Hitech Construction Company for the quality of its work and its engagement with host communities, expressing confidence that the project would be completed as promised by President Tinubu. "Under President Tinubu, this country will be rebuilt. The roads he is building now will last for the next 100 years without reconstruction," Umahi said. He urged Nigerians to continue to offer constructive criticism, stressing that the administration remained open to feedback aimed at improving governance.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of the flagship infrastructure projects of President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, is designed to connect states along the corridor while creating jobs and stimulating economic activities. Umahi said the project is already creating employment, with Hitech employing over 1,000 people in the Ondo section alone, while direct and indirect jobs are springing up across the corridor. "Anywhere we are working, you will see security presence. We also have local vigilantes working with them. It is opening up commerce, agriculture and education," he said. As the project continues to advance across five states, Umahi's firm rebuttal of Duke's concerns underscores the administration's determination to see the coastal highway through to completion, despite persistent criticism from political opponents and civil society groups.
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