Tinubu arrives Lagos, to flag off Lagos-Calabar N15trn highway project

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday arrived in Lagos ahead of the inauguration of the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, estimated to cost about N15 trillion.

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, had on Thursday at the 3rd Stakeholders Meeting in Lagos, hinted that Tinubu
would be flagging off the project which is currently generating controversy in the polity.

Our correspondent had reported how the plan to reroute the project after demolitions generated outrage among Nigerians.

Umahi said the proposed diversion would no longer occur due to the submarine cables along the coastline.

He was addressing stakeholders on Compensation and Environmental Impact Assessment on the coastal road project informed community groups and traditional institutions in the state, particularly the Okun-Ajah community in Lagos.

Earlier, the Okun-Ajah community cried out and warned the federal and Lagos State governments over the alleged illegal variation to the Lagos-calabar coastal highway route which put six villages at the risk of demolition and also the displacement of three traditional kings within the Community if the plan was not shelved.

Our correspondent reports the some previous demolitions carried out affected the beachfront of private businesses, including LandMark beach.

The Landmark Resort and Beach, the sprawling hospitality and leisure beach, an investment of $200 million, according to the owner, was the worst hit as the federal government bulldozed properties on the right of way.

Other beaches affected were Mami Chula Beach, Breeze Beach Club, Moist Beach and G12 Oniru Beach.

Apart from businesses that have been impacted, many ancestral homes along the coastal line are crying out over impending extinction.

However, all is now set for the flag-off of the project as Tinubu has already touched down in Lagos on Saturday evening.

A statement from the State House indicated that Tinubu will also carry out series of official engagements while in Lagos.

The Special Adviser Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu, in Lagos will begin “a commissioning spree of projects completed under his administration,” ahead of the first anniversary in office.

Onanuga said, “In Lagos on Sunday, the President will inaugurate the concrete-paved road to the nation’s major ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island. The reconstructed road which began under the Muhammadu Buhari Administration was financed by the Dangote Group, using its tax credits.

“On the same day, President Tinubu will formally inaugurate, by virtual means, the refurbished Third Mainland Bridge, which has drawn public acclaim for its excellent finishing and aesthetic furnishing. He will also commission, virtually, the rehabilitation of 330 roads and bridges across the country.

“The highpoint of the President’s engagements on Sunday will be the inauguration of the iconic Lagos-Calabar Superhighway, estimated to cost about N15 trillion. Work has begun on the legacy project that will connect nine coastal states, with Section Two already awarded to Hitech Construction Limited.”

The Presidential spokesman said Tinubu will return to Abuja on Tuesday to begin another round of commissioning.