FG to open Lagos–Calabar Highway Section One next month, says Minister Umahi

FG to open Lagos–Calabar Highway Section One next month, says Minister Umahi

…unveils nationwide engineering mentorship scheme

 

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has said the Federal Government will fully open Section One of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway to motorists by December 2025.

Umahi made the disclosure during an inspection tour of the 47.47-kilometre dual-carriageway, accompanied by senior directors of the ministry and executives of Hitech Construction Company Limited, the contractor handling the project.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 700-km project planned to run from Victoria Island, Lagos to Calabar, Cross River State.

The highway will pass through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states, before ending in Calabar.

Speaking with journalists after the tour, the minister said construction had recorded “significant, measurable progress,” noting that work was deliberately slowed on select segments to allow proper subsoil settlement—an engineering requirement he described as crucial for the road’s structural integrity and long-term lifespan.

He commended Hitech for what he called an “uncommon commitment” to the project, saying the company’s drive “goes far beyond financial incentives.”

Umahi also highlighted the project’s financial health, revealing that the foreign loan component was oversubscribed by $100 million— indicating investor confidence in the project’s economic viability and the ministry’s transparent management processes.

Managing Director of Hitech, Danny Aboud, disclosed that sand filling was advancing steadily across critical swamp zones, with between 34 and 35 kilometres of the Concrete Reinforced Cement Pavement (CRCP) already completed.

Beyond Section One, Umahi inspected a major flyover at Chainage 47.474 designed to link Sections One and Two of the corridor.

With 80 per cent of piling works completed, the interchange is projected for delivery in the first quarter of 2026 and will support seamless traffic flow to the Dangote Refinery and the adjoining port access road.

In a related development, the minister announced the launch of the President Tinubu Engineering Mentorship Programme, expected to commence in January.

The initiative will recruit civil engineers, designers, and technicians from all 36 states and the FCT, offering hands-on training on mega national projects such as the coastal highway.

Participants will also receive start-up support to acquire essential equipment, in a move aimed at boosting indigenous engineering capacity and reducing reliance on foreign expertise.