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Indications have emerged that the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would be ready for commissioning by May 29, 2025.
The minister of works, David Umahi, stated this when he led the Federal Ministry of Works, members of House of Representatives and the Senate House Committee on Works to inspect some sections of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project stretching along eight states.
He reiterated the commitment of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to ensuring the massive rehabilitation and completion of abandoned road projects across the 36 states of the federation.
The minister also clarified that litigations, lawsuits and petitions made by affected property owners were delaying the realisation of the Lagos-Calabar highway project and called on citizens to join efforts with government to realise the infrastructure project in good time.
He added that the president had paid full compensation to affected property owners along the federal right-of-way before the demolition of property took place even as he appealed to the individuals to join efforts with the government to realise the full potential of the coastal road project.
He explained that the road project was grappling with spiral inflation and escalation of project costs, which he said were growing challenges associated with infrastructure development hence, the need for additional funding to complete crucial ongoing projects.
He noted that the variation cost increased due to the dwindling foreign exchange rate, spiral inflation and the soaring cost of bitumen, iron rods and reinforcements.
He applauded the efforts of President Bola Tinubu in revamping and rehabilitation of road projects to bring mutual and major beneficial reforms in road infrastructure in the country.
According to Umahi, the coastal highway was significant to the economic development of the affected states and the country in general.
“One of the things we saw when we came on board was that Tinubu inherited 20,604 projects as of May 29, 2023; N13 trillion and contractors were being owed N1.6 trillion for jobs done,” he said.
Umahi declared that there would be no room for abandoning projects any longer and that any contractor who does not take the federal government’s projects seriously would have their contract terminated.
“We have terminated over ten contracts of big companies and we have the mind to terminate more, and you can’t dictate for us; we will tell you what we want,” he added.
Commenting on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano dual carriageway projects awarded to Julius Berger Plc, he reiterated that after the expiration of seven days, “we will have no option but to revoke it and award the project to another construction firm to complete it.”
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