The Federal Government has introduced the Coastal Highway Guards to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from vandalism, illegal occupation and other unauthorised activities.
The initiative was launched by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, with an initial deployment of 40 officers, according to a statement posted on X on Sunday, August 9, by the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Lagos State Governor, Jubril Gawat.
Gawat said the guards would maintain a visible presence along the highway and monitor activities that could threaten the project or disrupt its use.
He wrote, “The Honorable Minister of Works, Senator @realdaveumahi, today launched the COASTAL HIGHWAY GUARDS, starting with 40 officers. These personnel will be in charge of:
“Maintaining presence on the highway; reporting suspicious activities; restricting hawking on the Coastal Highway;
“Reporting and monitoring any form of vandalism; restricting keke or okada on the Coastal Highway; and restricting loitering on the Coastal Highway.”
The team will be led by retired Gen. Adekunle Shodunke and will work with security agencies in Lagos State, Gawat said.
According to Gawat, Umahi stressed that the initiative was designed as a permanent employment arrangement rather than an empowerment scheme.
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“The Hon. Minister says this is not an ‘empowerment program’, It is a full time job to protect National Assets of the Government and in line with the Renewed Hope of Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR,” Gawat said.
Earlier on Sunday, Umahi raised concerns over activities taking place along parts of the coastal highway, particularly the alleged removal of construction materials and illegal occupation of sections of the project.
“We have had very terrible, unpatriotic elements removing the blocks, breaking the fence, removing the rods and treading on the highway. This must stop,” Umahi said.
He directed the Works Controller in Lagos to ensure that motorcycles, tricycles, hawkers and other unauthorised activities were removed from the highway.
“Their job is that no keke on the coastal highway, no motorcycle on the coastal highway, and no loitering. There is no superhighway all over the country where you see people loitering,” he said.
“Last night, we were there with the National Assembly members by 11 pm; people were sleeping on the coastal highway. It must stop. No hawking, no occupation illegally along the entire coast.”
Umahi also urged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to strengthen its protection of critical national infrastructure.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Works had opened its ongoing projects to scrutiny by anti-corruption agencies, signalling a push for greater oversight of federal infrastructure projects.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 750-kilometre, 10-lane road project designed to link Lagos with Cross River State through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.