The first 47 km of the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway would be accessible to traffic in December 2025, according to a statement from the Federal Government.
During an inspection trip of the coastal highway on Sunday, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, said that the opening is planned for December 12–17.
He stated that the government and the contractor are dedicated to finishing this portion of the 750-kilometer roadway, which links the federation’s nine coastline states.
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“This job must be completed. We are here on the president’s directive, working for the people, to ensure that the carriageway is opened for public use by December. We have agreed with the contractor, and that is what we are assessing now. Everything will be done to provide unfettered access from channel 0 to channel 47, up to channel 55; that is our intention,” Umahi said.
He added, “We have set aside the 12th to the 17th of next month to publicly open it for public use, without stopping the work. We have also set aside April next year to complete Section 1 and half of Section 2 for full commissioning, excluding the bridges, which are part of the Section 2 contract. We are grateful to God Almighty for His mercies and for the President He has enabled to carry out this job. Also, the contractor is working to ensure that the entire Section 1 of the highway plus half of Section 2 will be completed by April 2026.”
In a surprising turn of events, the minister disclosed that Okengwu Stella Winhomes’ claims regarding the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project were clarified by a recent court decision that dismissed her lawsuit for lack of basis.
“The attention of the public has been drawn to the extensive media commentary surrounding the suit filed by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Winhomes Global Services Limited, Stella Okengwu, concerning the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.
“Since initiating the action, Mrs Okengwu has made several public allegations against me, claiming that the highway route was diverted into a supposed Winhomes residential development in Okun Ajah, Lagos, thereby jeopardising investment said to be worth over $250m. However, what has been presented publicly as a ‘residential development’ is in substance only a gatehouse structure without further development on the site,” Umahi said.
He added, “Crucially, documents filed by Mrs Okengwu herself before the Federal High Court tell a different story from the narrative being circulated in the media. In the affidavit supporting the Originating Summons in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1803/2024, as well as in her further affidavit, she expressly deposed that Winhomes had sold the land in question to third parties. Having divested their interest in the property, the foundation of the company’s public assertions becomes fundamentally inconsistent with the position they presented before the court.”
Umahi went on to say that because Mrs. Okengwu and Winhomes Global Services Limited acknowledged in their pleadings that they no longer had a proprietary interest in the land, the Federal High Court determined that they lacked the locus standi to initiate the action. The plaintiffs’ failure to reveal a plausible cause of action against the defendants was determined by the court.
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He said that Okengwu was using media outlets to disseminate false and misleading information in an attempt to deter international investors from making investments in Nigeria.
In closing, he urged the people to ignore claims made online by Stella Okengwu on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
The announcement of the coastal highway’s December opening marks a key milestone in the federal government’s efforts to enhance Nigeria’s road infrastructure and connect the nation’s coastal regions efficiently.
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