The Federal Government has dismissed reports suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the discontinuation or diversion of the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to the East-West Road in Edo State, insisting that both projects will proceed as planned.
The government clarified that the reconstruction of approximately 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, stretching from Edo State to Cross River State, is an additional project and will not affect the original alignment or completion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
In a disclaimer dated October 13, 2026, issued on the directive of the Minister of Works, the government described reports of the alleged diversion as misinformation, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to delivering both infrastructure projects.
According to the clarification, the East-West Road requires urgent reconstruction because sections of the road have been rendered vulnerable to flooding and climate change, while its pavement has suffered severe deterioration.
The government stressed that the additional intervention would not compromise the construction of the entire 750-kilometre dual carriageway as originally proposed.
Providing an update on the coastal highway, the ministry disclosed that construction was ongoing on five sections within the Niger Delta region.
These include Sections 3A and 3B, covering 75 kilometres across Cross River and Akwa Ibom states; Sections 4A and 4B, covering 65 kilometres across Ogun and Ondo states; and Section 5, covering 62 kilometres in Akwa Ibom State.
It added that surveying and design work was ongoing on the remaining stretches of the coastal highway, covering the route from the end of the Ondo section through Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states before connecting with Section 5 in Akwa Ibom.
The ministry said procurement and construction on the outstanding sections would commence from the end of the Ondo axis once the survey and design processes had been completed.
To reinforce its position, the government cited the additional 410-kilometre Wukari-Langtang route approved by President Tinubu under the fourth Legacy Road project, which runs from Akwanga through Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu to Maiduguri.
According to the clarification, the additional route expanded the project from an originally planned 700 kilometres of dual carriageway to approximately 1,100 kilometres without altering the original alignment.
The government maintained that the same approach was being adopted for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other Legacy Road projects, stressing that additional road interventions would not undermine the delivery of the original projects.
It urged Nigerians to disregard reports suggesting that the coastal highway had been abandoned or redirected, reiterating the administration’s commitment to completing the projects as planned.
