By Divine Sam.

The Federal Government is targeting the completion of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway within the next three years, according to the Minister of Works, David Umahi.

The projection suggests that the ambitious coastal road project could be completed around 2029, although the minister did not provide a detailed construction timetable or specific completion dates for the different sections.

Umahi disclosed this during a 90-minute interview on Arise Television on Friday, where he defended the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure priorities amid concerns over the poor condition of several existing federal roads.

Asked when the entire highway would be completed, the minister said the government was working towards delivering the project within the projected period.

“We have four years plus by God’s special grace. So we are looking at three years,” he said.

Umahi expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s ability to deliver the project, attributing his optimism to his faith in the administration.

“I’m a child of God. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Okay, so I’m giving you the faith I have and the president that I know, that I believe that within the next three years plus, the president will be able to complete that project,” he added.

The minister also addressed concerns over the procurement process for the highway, acknowledging that the project was awarded without public bidding but maintaining that the direct procurement method was lawful.

“There was no public bidding, but there was direct procurement. It’s within the law. That’s all I’ve just said,” he stated.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the Federal Government’s flagship infrastructure projects, designed to connect coastal communities and improve transportation along Nigeria’s southern corridor.

However, the project has attracted public debate over its cost, procurement process, funding arrangements and the decision to prioritise new infrastructure while several existing federal roads remain in poor condition.

Defending his ministry’s performance, Umahi said approximately 17,000 kilometres of federal roads were currently being constructed or reconstructed, excluding the major legacy projects.

“Out of about 35,000 kilometres of our federal roads, the one that is before me in the Ministry of Works, if you remove the few legacy projects we are constructing, we are constructing 17,000 kilometres of roads presently,” he said.

He added that the ministry had completed about 1,700 kilometres of roads since the administration assumed office, alongside more than six kilometres of flyovers, bridges and underpasses.

Responding to criticism over the allocation of resources to major highway projects, Umahi argued that the legacy projects also involved the rehabilitation and reconstruction of existing roads.

“I’ve said that the legacy projects are not entirely greenfield. And so that justification is that we are also reworking the existing roads within these four legacy projects,” he said.

On funding, the minister explained that the projects were structured to attract investment, with 30 per cent of the financing coming from companies of the Federal Government and 70 per cent through loans.

“These legacy projects are investment-driven because 30 per cent is from companies of the federal government and 70 per cent is loan-driven,” he stated.

Umahi further defended the coastal highway as a response to growing traffic congestion along the Lagos corridor, particularly between Victoria Island and Lekki.

“In the next five years, unless something is done in the corridor from VI to Lekki, it becomes, you know, a car park because of the congestion. And that’s why we are building the seven taxi route,” he said.

The minister also clarified the funding arrangement for a proposed initiative involving 4,000 social media influencers to promote the administration’s projects, insisting that he would personally finance the programme rather than use public funds.

“Dave Umahi is funding, not Minister of Works, is funding influencers to advertise what I’m doing because I believe in what I’m doing. I believe in what the president is doing,” he said.

He added, “I am funding 4,000 influencers to advertise what the president is doing and it’s a catalyst for campaigning for him all over Nigeria.”

When asked whether the influencers would also support Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign and respond to criticism of the administration, Umahi acknowledged that the initiative would have a political dimension.

The minister also dismissed suggestions that his criticism of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi was motivated by his own presidential ambitions, describing such speculation as disrespectful to Tinubu.

“I cannot wish the position of my boss. It is disloyalty and it’s unspiritual and disrespectful,” he said.

Umahi maintained that he hoped to be remembered for infrastructure development, helping people and promoting the integration of the South-East into national politics.

“My legacy will be the people I have made to laugh. The roads I have constructed, the people I have lifted up. And the region of South-East that I support being totally integrated,” he said.

The proposed 2029 completion timeline now sets an ambitious target for one of Nigeria’s largest ongoing road infrastructure projects, with its delivery dependent on construction progress, funding and the execution of its various sections.