Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Route To Include Edo State
The Federal Government has formally added Edo State to the alignment of the Lagos-Calabar
Coastal Highway project, increasing the highway’s total length by about 100 kilometres. The
announcement was made by the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, during a gala held in
Benin City.
The original route of the Coastal Highway was estimated at about 700 km. With Edo State now
included, the highway’s total length will extend to approximately 750 km.
Minister Umahi said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave direct instructions that the route be
modified to pass through Edo State. The revised route will pass through Lagos, Ogun, Ondo,
Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states.
Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, expressed gratitude for the inclusion. He
described features of the Benin-Sapele-Warri road as particularly perilous prior to federal
intervention and said the new alignment is a show of federal commitment to Edo.
Minister Umahi also commended contractors working on sections of the highway, specifically
praising CBC (the contractor awarded to Edo sections), but urged faster work and regular
progress reports.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of President Tinubu’s flagship infrastructure plans,
intended to enhance connectivity across Nigeria’s southern coastal states.
In prior Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals, large sums (e.g. N1.65 trillion) were
allocated for sections of the highway in Ogun and Ondo states; and contracts exceeding N3
trillion have been awarded for other segments through Lagos, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.
The inclusion of Edo State is expected to facilitate smoother travel, improve local and interstate
commerce, and reduce travel-related hazards in Edo’s existing road stretches.
Challenges remain: funding remains a concern, and contractors have been urged to enhance
quality, speed, and reporting transparency. The terrain in some sections (e.g., swamp, flood
prone) will pose engineering difficulties.
By Oyinkansola Shittu.
