By Pascal Ibe
Claim
An X user, @SenNenadiParody claimed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has been abandoned over lack of funds.
Verdict
This claim is FALSE.
There’s no credible report anywhere that confirms that the project was abandoned.
On 9th October, the Works minister, Eng. Dave Umahi announced that the first section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is set to be completed by May 29, 2025, after which it will be tolled for 5 to 10 years to recover construction costs.
Full Text
An X user, @SenNenadiParody has claimed that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has been abandoned over lack of funds.
The user who claimed on the 27th of October wrote, “Good News.
Lagos -Calabar Coastal Highway have been abandoned over lack of funds.
“Good News
Only Lagos State road was constructed.
$11 Billion Dollars gone.
Next please.”
The post on X generated over 150k views and more than 900 reposts as of Wednesday morning.
Background
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 700-kilometer project that will run from Victoria Island, Lagos, to Calabar, Cross River State. The highway will pass through Ogun State, Ondo State, Delta State, Bayelsa State, Rivers State, and Akwa Ibom State, before ending in Calabar. The project is intended to connect the western and south-eastern regions of Nigeria and to improve cross-country connectivity and trade relations.
The construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway began in March 2024 under the administration of Bola Tinubu with the first phase, which stretches 47.47 kilometers from Lagos. The highway is expected to be completed in eight years and will cost N4 billion per kilometer.
Verification
First, there’s no credible news report anywhere by any reputable news organization after a thorough search by FACTWATCH.
This Fact Checker searched the official website of the Federal Ministry of Works, but no such report was found there.
Recall that on 9th October 2024, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced that the first section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is set to be completed by May 29, 2025, after which it will be tolled for 5 to 10 years to recover construction costs.
The construction of this first phase, which stretches 47.7 km within Lagos State, starting from Ahmadu Bello Way, commenced in March 2024 by Hitech Construction Company Limited.
“I am very happy with the work and people have been asking me that we say that 47-kilometre will be commissioned by May 29, and they are counting months for me, and they are counting months for Hitech. But I have no fear about what Hitech is doing. First, it is good quality work; the most difficult aspect of this is the settlement of the sand“, Umahi said.
An email was sent to info@fmw.gov.ng, regarding this claim but no response has been received yet as of the time of writing this fact check.
Conclusion
The claim that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has been abandoned over lack of funds is FALSE as no credible source can confirm it to be true.
