Section S’South begins in August as FG adds new roads

The Federal Government has commenced construction of the south-south axis of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway after suspending new road construction projects.

Construction Minister David Umahi said the federal government would not undertake any new road construction project in 2025 due to lack of funds.

He said this during the stakeholders’ meeting on the proposed alignment for Section 3A – 38km of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Expressway held at the Transcorp Hotel in Calabar on Sunday.

The stakeholders’ event was a follow-up to the event held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on the previous Saturday.

Umahi explained that the federal government would rather focus on inherited projects and the three old road construction projects of the Bola Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Legacy projects

Previous projects include the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway – a 1,000-kilometer expressway connecting Sokoto to Badagry, passing through seven states and connecting to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Expressway at Ahmadu Bello Way in Lagos; the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Expressway – a 700-kilometer coastal expressway connecting Lagos State to Cross River State through eight states; and the 477-kilometer Calabar-South East-North Central-Apo Abuja Expressway connecting Calabar to Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa States and terminating at Apo in Abuja.

He explained that construction work on the Calabar end of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway would begin in August.

The minister said: “We will not be embarking on any new road construction project in 2025. The reason for this is the lack of resources. We would rather focus on the inherited projects and the legacy projects of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These projects are close to the heart of the President and he is keen to implement them.”

The minister also reiterated the ultimatum to contractors entrusted with government road construction projects: either wait or lose their contracts.

Presenting the routes of Section 3A and the Trans-Africa Highway crossing the Cross River through Ebonyi, Kogi, Nasarawa and Abuja, Umahi expressed dismay at the slow pace of work on the Akwa Ibom and Cross River-Calabar-Itu sections, which were awarded to three contractors.

Umahi reiterated his earlier ultimatum, saying: “If Julius Berger (Plc) does not return to the site after the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum set today (Sunday), we will terminate the contract. Sermatech Limited, a local contractor, has done a better job than Berger.”

“Livelihoods depend on the improvement of our roads. Contractors play tricks on us when building roads. If we give him a kobo, he has to give us an affidavit. The contractor has to put his feet on the accelerator. When you drive up a hill, do you take your leg off the accelerator? No.”

He warned contractors who thought it was “business as usual” in handling government projects that the old order had changed and stressed that no amount of lobbying could save them if they failed to perform.

He reiterated the commitment of the Tinubu administration to complete all the inherited road projects and the three old road projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He added that other projects related to the three legacy projects would be evaluated to determine the scope of work and tasks to be completed.

Umahi said: “Construction of the two sections of the road in Cross River State and one section in Akwa Ibom State will commence simultaneously.

Stakeholder engagement

“After engaging all stakeholders, we will receive the design and begin procurement. We are very confident that construction will begin in this state in August.”

“I will not allow construction to start only in Akwa Ibom, but will ensure that construction starts in three phases – two in Cross River and one in Akwa Ibom State.”

“The projects will have one track. We started with the tracks in the middle in section two, but have redesigned them so that the tracks are now on the sides.”

Umahi needed the support of relevant stakeholders in the state to ensure smooth implementation of the project.

The Minister commended the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Basset Otu, for his cooperation with the Federal Government on the road construction projects.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, promised the state’s continued cooperation and collaboration with the Ministry of Works to complete the road construction projects on time.

The State Surveyor General, Patrick Bassey, called for intensive cooperation between those involved and demanded that no building permit be issued for the project route.

Stakeholders, including prominent traditional rulers, former deputy governors, politicians, religious leaders and other leaders, called on the Federal Government to intervene in other important and central roads in the state, stressing that such intervention would pave the way for economic prosperity for the state.

Members of the Senate and House of Representatives Building Committees accompanied the Minister to the event.

A day earlier, the minister had given an overview of the individual project phases in Uyo.

He said: “We are here to unveil sections three and four of the famous Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. We have started and launched section one which starts from Lagos and ends at Lagos Deep Port which is 47.4km long.

“Section two starts from the Lekki deep sea port and goes to the famous Dangote refinery. Section three is 27km on Akwa Ibom land, 38km in Cross River State. Section four is entirely on Akwa Ibom land, which is 80km. If you add 27km and 80km together, it is 107km. So you are benefiting from the maximum use of this coastal highway.

“Once we have completed the procurement process and awarded sections three and four, work will begin simultaneously on many subsections of this section.

“Tinubu is a man of his words, so we are delighted with the praise and support we have received from Nigerians and the many benefits of the coastal highway.”

Speaking at the event, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio expressed his gratitude to the President for heeding his appeal to commence sections three and four of the coastal highway in Cross River State to Akwa Ibom.

He called on the Governor of Akwa Ibom State to provide maximum support to the Federal Government.