President Bola Tinubu has officially inaugurated the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, estimated to cost approximately N15 trillion.
Tinubu, who cut the tape at exactly 6:03 pm in Lagos, was accompanied by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and about eight governors, including the Chairman of the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
In his speech, the President declared, “It’s my bragging day,” while outlining ten benefits of the superhighway project, which traverses eight states.
“It’s my bragging day. We will do this road. We are determined to do it,” Tinubu emphasized.
The Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, designed to span 700 kilometers and pass through nine states, was awarded to Hitech Construction Company Limited under an Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Financing (EPC+F) arrangement. This arrangement places the bulk of the risk on the contractor, with the federal government providing counterpart funding.
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The Federal Government commenced construction in March 2024, starting with the first phase of the project, which covers 47.47 kilometers from Lagos.
However, the project has faced criticism from major opposition leaders, including the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi.