The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has explained why the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway costs ₦7.5 billion per kilometre, citing extensive shoreline protection, deep sand filling, solar lighting and other engineering features incorporated into the project.
Umahi gave the explanation on Friday, October 23, during an interview on Arise Television, where he was asked to justify the cost of the controversial coastal road.
According to the minister, the price covers more than conventional road construction, with additional infrastructure and protective measures required to address the terrain along the coastline.
“A standard coastal road is going for N7.5 billion per kilometer of standard highway. However, this N7.5 billion includes all the fillings, shore protections, solar lighting throughout, and planting of trees,” Umahi said.
He disclosed that Section One, spanning 47.47 kilometres, has an estimated cost of ₦1.067 trillion.
The former Ebonyi State governor said the project features concrete pavement designed to last 100 years without maintenance, alongside retaining walls, flyovers, underpasses and extensive shoreline protection.
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He also identified the scale of sand filling required in some sections as a major cost factor, explaining that the filling could reach depths of up to 20 metres in certain areas.
“This is an investment that the President is doing, and this is a road that is going to last for another hundred years,” he said.
Umahi’s explanation comes amid public criticism over the increase in the highway’s construction cost. In April 2024, the minister had put the cost at ₦4 billion per kilometre, compared with the current ₦7.5 billion figure.
However, he maintained that the coastal highway’s technical requirements and additional features distinguish it from ordinary road projects, making direct cost comparisons inappropriate.
The minister also announced a projected milestone, saying motorists would be able to travel from Ahmadu Bello Way in Lagos through Sections One, Two and part of Section Four into Ondo State by November.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a major Federal Government infrastructure project designed to improve transport connectivity along Nigeria’s coastline.
Its cost has remained a subject of public debate, with Umahi’s latest remarks offering the government’s explanation for the construction rate.