The Federal Government has announced that the first 47-kilometre section of the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway will be opened to traffic in December 2025.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection tour of the highway on Sunday, stating that the opening is scheduled to take place between December 12 and 17.
He noted that both the government and the contractor are committed to completing this section of the 750-kilometre highway, which connects nine coastal states of the federation.
“This job must be completed. We are here on the president’s directive, working for the people, to ensure that the carriageway is opened for public use by December. We have agreed with the contractor, and that is what we are assessing now. Everything will be done to provide unfettered access from channel 0 to channel 47, up to channel 55; that is our intention,” Umahi said.
He added, “We have set aside the 12th to the 17th of next month to publicly open it for public use, without stopping the work. We have also set aside April next year to complete Section 1 and half of Section 2 for full commissioning, excluding the bridges, which are part of the Section 2 contract. We are grateful to God Almighty for His mercies and for the President He has enabled to carry out this job. Also, the contractor is working to ensure that the entire Section 1 of the highway plus half of Section 2 will be completed by April 2026.”
In a turn of events, the minister revealed that a recent court ruling clarified the status of Okengwu Stella Winhomes’ claims on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project, striking out her suit for lacking merit.
“The attention of the public has been drawn to the extensive media commentary surrounding the suit filed by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Winhomes Global Services Limited, Stella Okengwu, concerning the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.
