WEDNESDAY April 16, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has flagged off the 65-kilometre Akwa Ibom section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, marking a major milestone in one of Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, Vanguard newspaper reports.
The ceremony, which took place in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday, saw Tinubu represented by the state’s Governor, Pastor Umo Eno. In his remarks, Governor Eno conveyed the president’s vision, emphasizing the transformative economic potential of the project for Akwa Ibom and the nation as a whole.
According to Tinubu, the highway aligns with his Renewed Hope Agenda, and when completed, will significantly enhance interconnectivity, facilitate trade, and foster national unity.
“Great leaders think big and avoid playing politics with projects that have enduring value,” the president noted. “Road infrastructure is a key catalyst for growth and development. It eases movement of goods and services, stimulates inter-state integration, and improves the quality of life. That is the vision behind the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.”
He disclosed that the current focus is on sections 3A and 3B of the project, which link Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, adding that the economic benefits to both states are immense.
Speaking in his own capacity as governor, Eno expressed gratitude to the president for including Akwa Ibom as a beneficiary of the landmark project. He pledged full support from the state government to ensure its successful execution.
“I want to thank Mr. President for embarking on this audacious project that will expand our economic horizon and connect our coastal communities to the urban centres,” Eno said. “It is not a right that the project passes through Akwa Ibom—we do not take it for granted.”
The governor also commended President Tinubu as a detribalized leader and pledged political support for his administration to complete its eight-year tenure.
“He cannot start this work and abandon it,” Eno declared. “Somebody else may not finish it. Our prayer is that God grants him good health to complete what he has started, so it does not become another abandoned project like the East-West Road.”
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, also addressed the gathering, praising Tinubu for fostering unity and equity across Nigeria through infrastructure development.
“This project is historic. It is not only passing through the airport but also the Qua refinery you attracted and other key roads,” Umahi stated. “You’re getting flyovers and major access roads. Who else could have done this, if not President Bola Tinubu, the man who envisioned this project 27 years ago as Governor of Lagos?”
Umahi further revealed that, following complaints from Governors Eno and Bassey Otu of Cross River over the deplorable condition of the Calabar-Itu Road, President Tinubu had directed construction giant HITECH to mobilize to site immediately.
He assured residents that the long-neglected Calabar-Itu road would become motorable within the next two months.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is envisioned as a transformative piece of infrastructure, stretching across several coastal states, and opening up new economic corridors along Nigeria’s southern coast.
