President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the N15 trillion worth Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will give 30 million business people improved access to market centres and production.
Tinubu disclosed this in his remarks on Sunday in Lagos during the flag-off of the 700km Lagos-Calabar highway project and several others to commemorate his first year in office.
“It will fast-track the community’s development, bring development closer to the people, and give 30 million people improved access to production and marketing centres.
“You can easily predict a journey vertically and go along the horizontal line, and you can define the free movement of people,” he said.
Recall that the highway construction caused uproar among some Nigerians, especially those whose businesses have been earmarked for demolition.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate for the 2023 election, criticized the project. Similarly, Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 general election, also faulted the project.
This comes as the Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed last Thursday that 750 houses on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway’s path have been marked for demolition.
He stated that the government had announced N2.75 billion in compensation for affected properties.
“However, be rest assured that this government is a compassionate government that cares for you and will do the utmost to offer succour by way of compensation,” he stated.
The 10-lane coastal road is intended to link Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before ending in Cross River.
According to him, the road’s potential was enormous because it would have two spurs, which would link up with the Sokoto—Badagry Expressway, which is under procurement, and the African Trade Route, which connects the Southeast to Cameroon, thereby connecting every region of the country.