Umahi: Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway depends on Tinubu's 2027 re-election
Works Minister David Umahi stated Friday on Arise Television that the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway may not be completed if President Tinubu loses the 2027 election. Umahi described the project as Tinubu's "personal initiative" spanning eight coastal states from Lagos to Cross River.
The highway connects Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River — a corridor serving millions of residents and critical for coastal commerce. Tying its completion to a single administration's tenure raises questions about infrastructure continuity in Nigeria's democratic cycles.
Umahi's framing suggests the project lacks institutional safeguards or multi-party legislative backing to survive a transition. For communities along the route, this means improved roads, reduced travel time, and economic access could hinge on one election outcome rather than national development planning.
Voters in affected states should ask candidates across parties: What's your binding plan for this highway? Infrastructure that serves generations shouldn't rise or fall with one politician's tenure.