By Martins Oloja
- A road that began as a dream and became a nightmare’
Every great nation has a signature road. America has Route 66. Germany has Autobahn. UAE has Sheikh Zayed Road. Nigeria wanted to have Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway – a 700km, 10-lane superhighway from Victoria Island, Lagos to Calabar, Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom.
On paper, it is beautiful architecture: Coastal road that will unlock coastal economy, reduce travel time, create jobs, link Lekki Deep Sea Port to all Niger Delta ports, open tourism. But in reality, before the first 30km is even finished, the project has become architecture in ruin. Ruin of procurement, ruin of transparency, ruin of trust.
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Firm scratch: The 15 trillion naira project (some say N15.6 trillion, some say $13 billion, depending on which day Minister David Umahi speaks) has been mired in controversy from day one: No appropriation details in 2024 budget. No competitive bidding. No public Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
Conversion of original coastal railway tracks concept to road without explanation. Question over propriety – why coastal highway over original Lagos-to-Calabar road networks that are already dead? Curiosity over Eko Atlantic City and Eko Hotel where Gilbert Chagoury – owner of HITECH Construction – owns 75% equity, and where the road now begins. Now, Minister Dave Umahi speaking in tongues about possible diversion to align with East-West Road, a development that will exclude Ondo and Delta region. What is now coastal about a road that runs inland?
This is not just a road project. It is a national security asset. It is a 700km strategic infrastructure.
A minister cannot just rush to a media house to announce a road diversion of such magnitude in a cavalier manner. This is a presidential function. It requires thorough briefing to National Assembly in a good country where laws rule rather than men. Reason? We are bound to ask: What happened to the cost and consequences of cutting short the expectation of Ondo and Delta people? Before this opaque process, rerouting controversies and Chagoury’s involvement affects Tinubu’s government and his re-election bid in 2027, there should be presidency’s clarification, accountability and civic engagement. This piece is that warning. Mr. President, this road diversion and lack of transparency around it can be a time bomb you need to defuse before it is too late.
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The original sin – procurement without process: The first ruin in this architecture is procurement. Nigeria has a law: Public Procurement Act 2007. It says all federal projects above N100 million must go through open competitive bidding, must be advertised, must have BPP certificate of no objection, must have FEC approval with details.
Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road – N15 trillion – is the biggest road project in Nigerian history. Bigger than Second Niger Bridge (N400bn). Bigger than Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (N300bn). Yet no appropriation details.
In 2024 Appropriation Act, there was no line item of N15 trillion for Lagos-Calabar. What we saw was N500 million for “coastal road” in Ministry of Works budget. How do you fund N15 trillion with N500 million? Later, we heard it is under “unforeseen infrastructure fund” or “borrowed money.” National Assembly never debated N15 trillion.
In a democracy, even President cannot spend N15 trillion without National Assembly appropriation. That is Section 80 of Constitution. Where is the appropriation? Presidency must clarify. The project was awarded to HITECH Construction Company Limited – owned by Gilbert Chagoury, a long-time friend and business associate of President Bola Tinubu. Awarded on single-source, not competitive. Minister Umahi said, “HITECH is the only company that can do it because they did Eko Atlantic.” That is not procurement law. Even if they did Eko Atlantic, you must advertise and allow Julius Berger, CCECC, Arab Contractors, Setraco, etc to bid. That is transparency. Why single-source a N15 trillion project to a friend’s company? That question alone is enough to derail a government in a country where laws rule.
The Son Connection: What about the connection of the HITECH project where the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, is clearly a director/board member of a HITECH subsidiary – CDK Integrated Industries? CDK is linked to HITECH. The company says Seyi is not directly on HITECH board, but corporate registry shows overlapping directorships. Even if not direct, perception matters.
In public procurement, conflict of interest is enough to void process. If President’s son has business relationship with contractor handling N15 trillion project, the presidency must come clean with full disclosure of beneficial ownership, not just press statements. Otherwise, opposition will use it in 2027 as part of proof of state capture.
This is the first architecture in ruin: Procurement opacity. And it is avoidable. All presidency needs to do is publish: Full BPP certificate, FEC memo, bidding documents, cost per km, funding model. Publish it on Ministry of Works website. Let Nigerians see. If you don’t, you give all opposition elements a campaign jingle for 2027: “15 trillion road to Chagoury’s house.”
The environmental ruin: Where is the EIA report? Every major road project in Nigeria must have Environmental Impact Assessment under EIA Act 1992. For coastal road, it is even more critical because you are building on Atlantic shoreline – fragile ecosystem, mangroves, fishing communities, erosion. Where is the EIA report for Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway? Environmental activists asked Ministry of Environment. Ministry said they have not seen it. NOSDRA said they have not seen it. Local communities in Okun Ajah, Lagos – whose houses were demolished for first 30km – said they never saw any EIA consultation. They woke up one day and saw bulldozers. Minister Umahi said EIA is “ongoing” even as construction is ongoing. That is illegality. You cannot start construction before EIA. EIA must come before, not after.
What do we say about clear absence of details of EIA? That the road will destroy coastal environment, fishing livelihoods of millions, increase coastal erosion, (has already destroyed part of Landmark Beach, which contributed N10bn tourism yearly, without compensation? And Landmark is just one. What of 200 other small businesses demolished in Lagos without proper valuation? What of fishing communities in Ondo – Ayetoro, a community already sinking due to ocean surge – that will be further destroyed by coastal road if EIA is not done?
Mr. President, you are from Lagos. You know what Atlantic surge did to Bar Beach in 1990s before Eko Atlantic built sea wall. If you build coastal road without EIA and sea wall protection, Atlantic will wash the road away in 10 years. That will be waste of N15 trillion. Publish EIA. Hold public hearing in all eight coastal states. That is law. That is transparency. That is how to find architecture in ruin. It isn’t too late.
The conceptual ruin: – road or rail? And what is coastal about inland diversion? Original concept under President Goodluck Jonathan and even under President Buhari’s 2016 plan was Lagos-Calabar Coastal Railway – a standard gauge railway line along coast to move goods and people.
Railway makes sense for coastal economy: Heavy goods from Lekki Deep Sea Port to Calabar port, to Onitsha, to link to hinterland. Why was it converted to road? Who converted? What is the feasibility study that says road is better than rail? What of existing Lagos-Calabar road networks – Benin-Sagamu, Benin-Warri, Warri-Ughelli, East-West Road – that are already dead and need fixing? Why build new superhighway when old highways are death traps?
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What is propriety over original Lagos-to-Calabar road networks? If you have N15 trillion, why not fix East-West Road that has been under construction since 2006 and has killed thousands? Why not dualize Benin-Warri road that takes six (6) hours for 100km? Why new coastal road? Government has not explained. Minister says coastal road will be tolled and will pay for itself. But who will pay N5, 000 toll per 100km when Nigerians cannot afford fuel?
And now, worst ruin: Diversion to align with East-West Road.
Minister Umahi recently told the media that because of terrain challenges in Ondo and Delta (swampy, expensive), they may divert the road inland to align with East-West Road from Bayelsa to Cross River, thus excluding Ondo and Delta coastal axis from project. Wait. What is now coastal about a road that is inland? If you exclude Ondo (200km coastline, oil-producing, with deep sea port plan) and Delta (Warri, Koko, with ports), what is coastal?
This diversion talk is political dynamite. Ondo
State is APC state. Delta is PDP but with APC governor now. Both expected economic boom from coastal road – jobs, tourism, port access. Now you tell them road will not pass their coast? The people of the areas are asking: What happened to cost and consequences of cutting short expectation of Ondo and Delta people? And who gave Minister power to announce diversion of a N15 trillion national security asset on television? Such decision requires FEC, requires National Assembly briefing, requires presidential announcement, not minister’s media chat. If diversion is true, why will Ondo and Delta vote for APC in 2027? They will see it as betrayal. And opposition will say: “They took coastal road to Eko Atlantic at a convergence where Chagoury owns 75% equity in Eko Hotel and owns Eko Atlantic City where the road begins, and abandoned Ondo and Delta.”
That narrative will stick. Because perception is reality. Optics matter.
The Chagoury question – EKO Atlantic, EKO Hotel Where Coastal Road Begins: This is the most sensitive ruin. Must be handled with transparency.
Gilbert Chagoury is a respected Lebanese-Nigerian businessman. He built Eko Atlantic City – a $6 billion city reclaimed from Atlantic. He owns 75% equity in Eko Hotel and Suites (through his company). He owns HITECH.
Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road begins at Eko Atlantic City – at Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island – exactly where Chagoury’s Eko Atlantic is. Coincidence? Maybe. But in a country where optics matter, it looks like road was designed to increase value of Eko Atlantic, not to serve national interest. Eko Atlantic plots sell for $1,500 per sqm. If coastal road begins there, value jumps to $3,000 per sqm. So HITECH builds road with federal money, and Eko Atlantic owned by same HITECH owner gains value. Is that not conflict?
Presidency must clarify: Was there independent alignment study that shows Eko Atlantic is best starting point? Or was alignment chosen to benefit Eko Atlantic? Publish alignment study. Also clarify beneficial ownership: What is relationship between HITECH, Eko Atlantic, Eko Hotel, and CDK where Citizen Seyi Tinubu is a director? Let Nigerians see that there is no conflict. If there is, disclose and recuse. Silence on this can be dangerous for democracy.
Time bomb can be defused! Mr. President, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road can be your legacy like Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge you designed as Lagos Governor. It can open coastal economy and make you father of modern coastal Nigeria. But as currently managed – opaque procurement, no EIA, Chagoury controversy, son link, diversion talk by minister without presidential briefing – it is ruin, not architecture. And ruin derails re-election. Opposition is waiting. In 2027, they will not campaign on your achievements in fuel subsidy removal or tax reform. They will campaign on “N15 trillion road to nowhere, road to Chagoury’s house, road that excluded Ondo and Delta.” Don’t give them that bullet. A road that is supposed to connect Nigeria should not divide Nigeria. A road that is supposed to be coastal should not become inland overnight via minister’s press interview. A road that is supposed to be national security asset shouldn’t be diverted in a cavalier manner. Take charge, Mr. President. Defuse time bomb before 2027.
The Guardian
