President Bola Tinubu has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to technology transfer and the empowerment of Nigerians, as he inaugurated the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and several key road projects on Saturday in Lagos.
According to a statement by his spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President directed the Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, and other relevant ministers to ensure strict compliance with local content laws, including the training of Nigerians and the transfer of technology.
President Tinubu acknowledged the efforts of Mr Ronald Chagoury in preventing further encroachment by the Atlantic Ocean and safeguarding Victoria Island and Ikoyi, commending such visionary contributions to national infrastructure development.
“I said we would do it, and we did. We averted a disaster greater than a tsunami in Victoria Island and Ikoyi,” he remarked.
Appealing for continued public patience, Tinubu noted signs of economic recovery, citing stabilised foreign exchange rates and a decline in food prices. He expressed gratitude to the Works Ministry, contractors, and Lagos residents for their support and encouraged them to protect the completed projects for future generations.
“With great pride and fulfilment, I commission this completed section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway – Phase I, Section I, from Ahmadu Bello Way to Eleko Village in Lekki Peninsula. This forms part of the 700km coastal route linking Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River,” he said.
He commended Hitech Construction Company Ltd. for delivering the project to world-class standards, noting that the use of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) over traditional flexible pavement ensures greater durability.
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In the South-South, President Tinubu inaugurated the rehabilitated Calabar-Ugep-Katsina-Ala Road (Section II: Ugep-Katsina-Ala), and the dualisation of the East-West Road (Eleme Junction–Ahoada subsection) in Rivers State. Other projects included the Alesi-Ugep Road in Cross River and a 15km upgrade of the Port Harcourt-Onne Port access road.
In the South-East, he commissioned Section III of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Road (Enugu-Lokpanta), a new bridge at Akpoha in Ebonyi, and the reconstruction of the collapsed bridge at New Artisan Market in Enugu.
The South-West saw the rehabilitation and expansion of the Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Dual Carriageway (Section II in Oyo State), the Ikorodu-Shagamu Road, repairs on the 4.1km Eko Bridge, and construction of the Deep-Sea Port Access Road connecting Epe to the Shagamu-Benin Expressway.
In the North-Central, projects commissioned included the Shendam Bridge in Plateau and the Ilobu-Erinle Road in Kwara and Osun States.
In the North-East, he inaugurated the Jimeta Bridge in Yola, Adamawa, while the North-West witnessed the reconstruction of Yakasai-Badume-Damargu-Marken Zalli Roads in Kano and the Kano-Kwanar Danja-Hadejia Road (Section II) traversing Kano and Jigawa.
The President also flagged off new projects including:
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The Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha-Akure-Benin Road (Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Edo);
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Construction of the Nembe-Brass Road;
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A 107km section of the Enugu-Onitsha Carriageway; and
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Rehabilitation of the Zaria-Hunkuyi-Kufur-Gidan Mutum Daya Road (Kaduna/Kano).
Further flagged-off works included the dualisation of the Kano-Maiduguri Road (Section I: Kano-Wudil-Shuarin), the Kano Northern Bypass, and the Maiduguri Bypass Road.
Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, pledged continued legislative support for the administration’s economic agenda.
The Minister of Works revealed that N18 billion had been spent on compensation for those affected by the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, in line with the President’s directive that all infrastructure must prioritise the welfare of Nigerians and sustainability.
The event was attended by the governors of Lagos, Delta, Ogun, Edo, Bayelsa, Borno, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo, Cross River, and Imo States.
