The Federal Government has set up a legal team to address the numerous court cases impacting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, Minister of Works David Umahi has said.

He said the decision was crucial as the litigations risk delaying the timely completion of the legacy road project.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu has also approved compensation for property owners along the project corridor, including those with unauthorized structures, adding that the initiative was aimed at resolving legal obstacles and ensuring smooth project execution.

Umahi shared the updates during an inspection and verification tour of Sections I and II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with members of the National Assembly Committees on Works, where the lawmakers expressed their commitment to supporting the scheduled completion of the 700-kilometer project.

Section I of the project is 103 kilometres in length and falls entirely within the Lagos State border.

However, a phased execution of the project was adopted, for ease of construction beginning with Phase 1 of Section I, which is 47.4 kilometres in length; Ch.0+000 (Ahmadu Bello Way Junction, Victoria Island) – Ch. 47+474 (Eleko Village Junction).

Phase 1, Section II has a total length of 55.6 kilometres beginning from Ch. 47+474 – Ch. 103 + 000 (Ode – Omi, Lagos-Ogun Border.)

At the project site, Umahi urged the lawmakers to advise other National Assembly Committees to consult the Ministry before summoning its officials over what he described as “frivolous matters” related to the project.

While lamenting that numerous court cases and petitions are impeding progress on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Minister revealed that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice had established a legal team to address all pending cases.

In a statement by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, on Saturday, disclosed on behalf of the Minister that President Tinubu had approved the payment of compensation to owners of properties within the project’s corridor, even to those with illegal structures.

While urging the aggrieved to approach the courts to seek redress like others had done, Umahi appealed to aggrieved parties to refrain from politicizing the project.

“We have a lot of people who are not interested in this job being done. Everything the government wants to do, some people want to thwart it,” he said.

On Section II of the project, the Minister also informed the visiting legislators that the President had also approved the extension of the 7th Axial Road passing through the Dangote Refinery, Lekki Free Trade Zone, and the Deep Sea Port, built by Messrs Dangote Industries, on Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, to be linked with the Coastal Highway.

According to him, the two sections will be linked via a cable bridge, as obtained in other climes like Dubai, UAE.

Responding, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Sen. Mpigi Barinada disclosed that his Committee was convinced that the project was at no point abandoned, as speculated by some mischievous Nigerians, while urging the Ministry not to hesitate in approaching them on any thorny issue concerning the project.

He, however, appealed to the Minister to urgently consider the other sections of the highway passing through the Niger Delta, being an indigene of the zone.

On his part, the Chairman, House Committee on Works, Hon. Akin Alabi pledged the commitment and support of members and the leadership of the House to see to the successful and scheduled completion of the project.

He also appreciated and commended Mr. President for the legacy project, which will boost socio-economic activities, as well as the Minister’s “can-do spirit.”

The Minority Whip of the Senate and a member of the Committee, Sen. Osita Ngwu prompted the Ministry to regularly update Nigerians about the pace of the project.

Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Onyechachi Nwebonyi, who described the project as a “game changer” commended the President, the Minister, and the contractor, noting that the project will bring the economy back, as well as benefit Nigerians, tremendously.

The Managing Director of the construction company, Mr. Dany Abboud assured the team of the availability of adequate manpower and state-of-the-art equipment to complete the project, in line with designed specifications and timelines, promising to take them on an inspection of their yard.

NASS passes vote of confidence in Umahi

Meanwhile, the National Assembly and Joint Committee on Works has passed a vote of confidence in the Minister of Works, Mr. David Umahi, affirming the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a work in progress.

The joint committee members passed the vote of confidence in Umahi when he led them on an on-the-site assessment of the ongoing infrastructure projects on Friday in Lagos.

The members assured the Ministry of Works of adequate support amidst petitions allegedly slowing down the pace of work on the coastal road.

They commended President Bola Tinubu for the project they unanimously endorsed as a legacy for his administration.

The legacy project, they said, was designed to cut across all regions of the country, with high economic benefits.

Stakeholders, Minister disagree

In another development, stakeholders and indigenes of the Okun Ajah community, Saturday, disagreed with Umahi during a tour of the site of the construction by members of the House of Representatives Committee on Works.

The minister, while briefing the House of Representatives committee members in the presence of some stakeholders at Eleko Beach, said that the road was diverted in Okun Ajah because of submarine cable.

This declaration, however, generated uproar from stakeholders, who shouted that “there is no marine cable  in Okun Ajah .”

Reacting, the minister said: “When we got to Okun Ajah at KM 16, we discovered that we have a lot of network cables, MTN, Africa Network that is coming from the ocean. Many people do not understand that. Twenty-five years ago, these cables were not there. Now they are there.”

Buttressing his point, the minister explained that about one month ago, there was a cable challenge that disrupted the network throughout the entire West Africa, adding that in order not to go through that challenge again, the ministry met with the stakeholders and a decision to divert the Coastal Road was taken.

“So when you hear people talking that we left the gazetted corridor, it is for this reason because you are talking of a multi-billion naira cable network at that location.

“We have to divert at Kilometres 16 and we now resurface at Kilometres 25. That is why you have been hearing all sorts of things. “

He insisted that the government had finalized the corridor, and “there is no change on that corridor again,” he said.

One of the stakeholders, Yusuf Odunuga appealed to the minister to use the opportunity of the road construction to save the heritage of the people of Okun Ajah from Ocean surge.

Odunuga, who is an indigene of Okun Ajah also insisted that the cables are in Okun Mopo,  which is many kilometers away from the community.

He said  ” Oga, I know it very sure, the cable you mentioned is on Kilometre 23, please use a stone to kill two birds. Save our community from Ocean surge by diverting the road to block the surge of the ocean.”

One of the investors, Arc Ejiro Asholami said that he would be losing more than N40 million (Forty million naira) to the diversion of the road, which is no fault of his.

Umahi, stakeholders meet  in Lagos

Meanwhile, the  National Assembly Joint Committee on Works and the Federal Ministry of Works will  hold a stakeholder engagement meeting on the ongoing Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Yakubu Adam Kofarmata, announced the meeting in a press statement released on Friday in Lagos.

Expected at the parley, which holds at Orchid Hall, Eko Hotel, Lagos at 12 pm, are representatives of renowned firms in the construction industry, government officials, community leaders, and civil society groups.

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi will brief the gathering on the progress of the coastal road, a legacy project of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu government, and also  receive feedbacks from the public.

A similar meeting on the project was held last week  in Akure , Ondo State.