Lagos-Calabar Highway: Group petitions Tinubu, NASS

….Seeks independent engineering assessment, cost audit of Ondo route realignment

By Dayo Johnson, Akure

A community organisation, Ilaje Omuro Community Connect (IOCC), has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies over the alleged realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway away from the coastline of Ondo State.

The group described the reported route change as an economic and geographical injustice against Ilaje communities, demanding an independent engineering assessment, a comparative cost audit and the publication of relevant project documents.

In a statement signed by its counsel, Babatunde Omobone, IOCC said it represented more than 1,000 indigenes of Ilaje Local Government Area and urged the Federal Government to provide a transparent explanation for the reported change.

The 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the major infrastructure projects of the Tinubu administration. Flagged off in March 2024, the highway is designed to run from Victoria Island, Lagos, through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states to Calabar, Cross River State.

The Federal Government says the project is intended to expand coastal trade, tourism and logistics, with planned features including six lanes, concrete pavement, solar lighting and train tracks.

Controversy over the Ondo axis emerged following reports that the Federal Ministry of Works had realigned the highway away from the Ilaje coastline towards an inland corridor.

According to IOCC and other stakeholders from Ilaje and Itsekiri communities, the original survey and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) indicated that the highway would enter Ondo State from Ogun State at Olosunmeta and pass through Araromi, Abetobo, Abe-Oroyo, Ogogoro, Ayetoro, Awoye, Molutehin, Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo and Igbo-Egunrin before reaching the Igbokoda waterfront and linking Ode-Ugborodo and Escravos in Delta State.

The group put the stretch at about 60 to 110 kilometres.

It alleged that the route had instead been diverted from Oke-Upare inland through Ovia North and Ovia West in Edo State to Gelegele, said to be 10 to 20 kilometres from the sea, before connecting to Warri in Delta State.

IOCC claimed the alternative alignment would span between 130 and 190 kilometres and traverse swampy terrain requiring extensive bridge construction.

Umahi defends realignment

The group questioned the engineering justification given by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, for the reported change.

Umahi, at a briefing in Abuja last Wednesday, defended the decision, saying it was based on sound engineering considerations and that the government had no regrets over it.

“We have no regret for decisions taken at Ondo. For us, it is their right to write a petition; it is my right to take the right decision,” the minister said.

He explained that sections of the original route contained pits more than 100 metres deep, with no sharp sand within 300 metres, making construction technically difficult and more expensive because of the extensive filling and ground stabilisation required.

However, IOCC disputed the cost argument, estimating that construction along the original coastal route would cost between N4 billion and N7.5 billion per kilometre, compared with N7.5 billion to N12 billion per kilometre for the inland alignment, which it said would involve difficult terrain and extensive bridges.

The group cited previous road projects in similar terrain to challenge the suggestion that the Ilaje corridor was unsuitable for construction.

It referenced the Igbokoda-Ugbonla road, built by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), and a Ugbonla-Awoye road contract reportedly awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2010.

“If roads can be constructed within the Ilaje coastal environment, what specific engineering, geological, environmental or financial considerations make the proposed coastal highway route impracticable?” the group asked.

It called on the Ministry of Works to publish the feasibility studies, geotechnical and soil investigations, EIA reports and comparative cost-benefit analyses for both alignments.

IOCC also demanded an independent assessment by qualified engineers, arguing that advances in bridge construction, coastal protection and tunnelling should be considered before the coastal corridor was ruled impracticable.

Group warns of economic consequences

Beyond the technical questions, IOCC said the reported realignment had significant economic and social implications for coastal communities.

The group said Ilaje had Nigeria’s longest coastline, estimated at between 80 and 100 kilometres, and contributed more than 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily, yet continued to face sea incursion, coastal erosion, poor road access and limited economic opportunities.

It listed Abereke, Orioke, Magbehinwa, Idiogba, Mese, Ayetoro and Awoye-Odofado among the communities it said could be affected.

According to the organisation, excluding the coastal axis could limit opportunities in fisheries, agriculture, tourism, trade and logistics, discourage investment and further isolate communities whose ancestral homes, fishing grounds and livelihoods were already threatened.

The petition follows a joint resolution by Ilaje and Itsekiri leaders in Lagos on September 19, 2026, at which the two groups reportedly agreed to work together to ensure that the highway retained its original coastal route and threatened legal action over the alleged diversion.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, and pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere have also criticised the reported realignment, arguing that moving a coastal highway inland could undermine its intended purpose.

Seeks Tinubu’s intervention

IOCC urged Tinubu to intervene, the National Assembly to exercise its oversight powers and the Federal Ministry of Works to provide a comprehensive public explanation supported by verifiable data.

It also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to scrutinise any credible evidence of financial misconduct, abuse of office or improper influence connected with the route change.

“This is a call for accountability, not a declaration of guilt. Any allegation of wrongdoing should be investigated fairly, and any findings should be based on verifiable evidence,” the group said.

The organisation further demanded meaningful consultations with affected communities, traditional institutions and civil society before a final decision was taken on the alignment.

It stressed that its campaign was not directed against any individual or state but was intended to ensure fairness in the implementation of a major national infrastructure project.

“The Ilaje people are Nigerians. Ondo State is an integral part of the Nigerian federation. The coastal communities of Ilaje deserve to be considered fairly in decisions concerning a major national coastal highway,” the group said.