•Minister of Works David Umahi and Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has clarified that at no time did President Bola Tinubu issue an instruction that the 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be “discontinued to the East-West Road from Edo State”.
He said that the 400km of East-West Road from Edo to Cross River State is an additional route to be reconstructed alongside the 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, reports Channels TV.
The minister explained that the additional project, which is the reconstruction of the East-West Road, was presently below flood level due to climate change.
He, however, said that the damaged pavement would not affect the complete construction of the entire 750km dualised Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as initially proposed.
Umahi also said that work was ongoing within the 750km of the coastal highway within the Niger Delta region in five sections, namely: 3a and 3b (Cross River and Akwa-Ibom- 75 km dualised), 4a and 4b (Ogun and Ondo – 65km dualised), and Section 5 (Akwa-Ibom – 62km dualised).
The minister noted that the surveying and designing of the remaining sections of the 750km of the coastal highway were ongoing from the end of the Ondo section to Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers to join section five in Akwa-Ibom.
“The East-West reconstruction is an additional project just like the 410km Mr President approved as additional route (Wukari/Langtan ) on the fourth legacy project of Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri, which has increased the project from 700km dualised to 1100km dualised,” a statement signed by the Director of Highway Bridges and Design at the Federal Ministry of Works, Musa Saidu, read in part.
“All sections of the legacy projects are ongoing as proposed, and the additional projects will not affect the performances of the original alignment, nor will it change it. As soon as the survey and design of the remaining sections of the 750km of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway are completed, procurement and construction will commence starting from the end of Ondo axis.”
He urged the public to ignore any misinformation on the committed efforts of the president to deliver the projects as planned.
