There was euphoria and excitement on Saturday, May 31, 2025 when President Bola Tinubu, at an elaborate gathering of politicians, captains of industry and sundry stakeholders, commissioned the Section 1, Phase 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, measuring 30 kilometres.

That excitement, however, is thinning out as the road that was declared ready and commissioned is not yet fully open to motorists because, “work is still on-going from the Dangote Refinery end and at some points at Eko Ekate,” according to one of the workers at the site.

The worker, who spoke in anonymity, explained to our reporter that the road is blocked for safety reasons. “It will be difficult to control traffic, and some motorists run at high speed even when they are approaching our construction site.

“Some portions of the road have not been completed, especially the area where we have a bridge. Those areas are motorable but we are mindful of our workers on site. On Sunday, the road was opened between 9am and 1pm, and people used the road within that period,” the anonymous worker said.

On Sunday, our reporter observed that only motorcycle dispatch riders were plying the road. And it was brisk business for them.

BusinessDay was told that, last week, particularly on Thursday, when the President commissioned the Lekki Deep Seaport Access Road, soldiers were deployed to deny motorists access to the road, stoking further controversy that has defined the road from inception.

Like many other Nigerians, the anonymous worker wondered why the road was commissioned when it was not going to give immediate access to motorists.

“Why the rush? Maybe somebody just wanted to shine. Why not wait till everything is done?” he queried.

However, according to him, before the end of this month, the road will be open as the work is basically concrete pavement.

“Work moves faster with concrete than asphalt. And they are using concrete because it lasts longer. We are going to scrape the asphalt at the beginning of the road and replace it with concrete,” he assured.

Continuing, the worker said, “Oga, I tell you, when they open this road, people will enjoy it. Now, we have done it up to the Abraham Adesanya area and going from Victoria Island to that area now does not take up to 30 minutes as against the normal route from CMS which takes about two hours.”

The coastal highway is a 750km federal government of Nigeria project that passes through nine coastal states in the country, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River. It is designed as a six-lane carriageway within a 60-metre corridor.

The highway has been described by many as ‘one project, many controversies,’ having raised many questions and controversies from inception, ranging from its very expensive cost of N15 trillion; lack of environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), and absence of open bidding for its contract award.

Questions have so far bordered on the speed of its execution, federal government’s burning interest in the project, and the government’s defiance of court cases against the work.

Late last year, David Umahi, Nigeria’s minister for works, whose ministry is executing the project, disclosed that there were about six court cases against the project, but they were not deterred by those cases.

Just a couple of days again, a faction of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, called on the National Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against President Bola Tinubu, alleging that there’s a conflict of interest in the award of contract for the coastal highway.

Oba Oladipo Olaitan, leader of the group, in an interview with newsmen, condemned Tinubu’s recent public declaration at the inauguration of the 30-kilometre Phase 1, Section 1 of the coastal highway project that the contractor handling the project, Gilbert Chagoury, was his partner.

President Tinubu at the inauguration praised the Chagoury-led Hitech Construction Company for its work on the highway which he described as a ‘symbol of courage and commitment.’

FG assures on completion

However, Umahi had in March assured that the construction of Phase One of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be completed in January 2026.

“I assure you that by January next year, God willing, we have this road completed,” the minister had said.

“The road is exceptionally technically well-designed. The concrete thickness is designed for 275 millimetres but what they are doing is 280 millimetres,” he had added. (BusinessDay, but headline rejigged)