Lagos-Calabar Highway: FG Says First 47km Will Open to Motorists in December
- The Federal Government has said it plans to open the first 47km of the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway to traffic in December 2025
- Minister David Umahi said the opening will occur between December 12 and 17, and part of section 2 will be ready in mid-2026
- The minister said a Federal High Court had dismissed a suit by Winhomes Global Services Limited, challenging the use of its land and praying the court to stop the project
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Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, tech, the money market, and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
The Federal Government has confirmed that the first 47-kilometre section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway will be opened to motorists in December 2025, PUNCH reported.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, shared the update with newsmen during an inspection of the multi-billion naira project on Sunday.
Source: Original
Umahi said the opening is scheduled to take place between December 12 and 17, noting that both the government and the contractor are working to deliver the segment of the 750-kilometre highway that links nine coastal states.
According to him, the Ministry of Works is acting on the directive of President Bola Tinubu to ensure the road becomes accessible to the public before the end of the year.
He added that while the road will be opened to traffic, construction will continue. Umahi further stated that Section 1 and part of Section 2 are expected to be ready for commissioning by April 2026, excluding the bridges under Section 2.
He said:
“We have set aside the 12th to the 17th of next month to publicly open it for public use, without stopping the work. We have also set aside April next year to complete Section 1 and half of Section 2 for full commissioning, excluding the bridges, which are part of the Section 2 contract.”
Update on legal dispute
On the legal dispute intituted by Stella Okengwu of Winhomes Global Services Limited, Dave Umahi explained that a Federal High Court ruling struck out her suit for lack of merit, after documents submitted in court showed that Winhomes had already sold the land it claimed was affected by the highway route.
According to The Guardian, Umahi said the court’s position was that Okengwu and her company lacked the legal standing to challenge the project since they no longer had ownership of the property.
Source: Twitter
The Minister reportedly urged the public to disregard what he described as misleading narratives being circulated online about the project.
The Lagos–Calabar coastal highway is one of the federal government’s major infrastructure projects designed to improve connectivity across Nigeria’s coastal states and strengthen economic activities along the Atlantic corridor.
The project generated controversy when the construction began in March 2024, with notable Nigerians condemning it as a misplaced priority. Citizens also criticised the demolition of houses and business centres for the project, which is expected to gulp at least N15 trillion.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo argued that it was wasteful and insensitive spending at a time when many citizens grapple with economic hardship. However, other notable Nigerians like Professor Wole Soyinka hailed the project for its economic potential.
FG secured $747 million loan
Legit.ng reported that the federal government, earlier this year, secured a loan of $747 million from a group of financial institutions led by Deutsche Bank.
Other financiers of the loan include the First Abu Dhabi Bank, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Abu Dhabi Exports Office, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), and Zenith Bank.
The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) reportedly approved funding of $100 million for the Lagos-Calabar Highway project.
Source: Legit.ng
