Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: HITECH Has Conquered The Obstacles – Umahi

By Adesina Soyooye

No other construction company can bear the cost HITECH has borne without asking for a review

The Minister for Works, Senator Dave Umahi, has disclosed that Section One of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, will be commissioned in May 2026.

Umahi gave this assurance on Saturday, February 21, 2026, when he  inspected the project, just as the Federal Government has doubled its effort on the strategic coastal corridor which links Lagos to the South-South and South-East.

The progress recorded so far on the legacy project, Umahi said, shows the determination of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to deliver transformative infrastructure even with the difficult terrain and environmental challenges.

Umahi noted that deep soil conditions, which have  pits reaching over 20 metres, tested engineering limits but were  successfully handled by HITECH.

In a statement issued by Francis Nwaze, Minister Umahi’s Senior special Assistant on Media, the Minister said:

“We have no doubt that a man who worked with a very courageous President to tame the Atlantic Ocean can always subdue the challenges we have on this coastal route.

“Well, the section where we are is not the most challenging section of this route. This is section one, chainage 34.

“What we are seeing here is not different from what we saw in chainage 18.

“From the data from HITECH, the pit here is twenty meters deep, an average of 18 to 21 meters deep here and at chainage 18, we had about 22 meters deep of pit, and so HITECH conquered it.“

Umahi praised the resilience and commitment of HITECH Construction Company, and explained that unexpected soil discoveries were being addressed at the contractor’s cost, without any upward review of the project sum.

He said: “No other contractor can bear this kind of risk. You have proven that you are not working for money, but for the success of the country.”

The Minister said that the 3-kilometre stretch currently under inspection is nearing completion, with sub-filling expected to be concluded within days. Once opened, motorists will be able to drive seamlessly from Ahmadu Bello Way through Lekki, with access extending toward the Dangote Refinery axis as work progresses on Section Two.

“So this section which is about 3km, I’ve been told that in the next seven days, the entire sub-filling will be done, and then the entire road will be open to traffic. So you can drive all the way from Ahmadu Bello down to Lekki without stopping.

“And of course, section two, you can go much ahead of that, even up to Dangote Refinery. And so the deal is that by May, we want to have section one commissioned, but we have an issue. And the issue is, can I take the risk of saying to HITECH, this three kilometer that is a big issue,  because at chainage 18, we had to expose that section to rain for 6 months. And so using lumps, using one-inch stone base and sharp sand, we were able to consolidate that place within six months.

“But this one is not passing through the rainy season, and so I now have a choice to say, you must put the concrete before the end of April, and that will be my risk but I won’t bear that because we can’t open this project to increase the cost.

“So what we are doing is, by the month of March, we will now do our consolidation test and see what it looks like. And by the month of April, if we have good consolidation, then we will put our CRCP within two weeks and then commission by the 20th May.”

Umahi also noted and condemned the vandalism along the corridor,  especially, the cutting of metal fences and dumping of refuse into manholes. He  warned that such acts endanger lives and infrastructure. The Minister lauded security agencies for their vigilance and emphasised that offenders would be prosecuted.

“And to address the issue of vandalization, the issue of cutting our beautiful metal fence, the issue of opening the manholes and dumping refuse there, I thank the Commissioner of Police, I thank the Inspector General of Police, I thank your commitment. I’ve seen a number of vehicles. Anyone that is caught should be charged to court immediately. We have our seven-man SAN that will take up any litigation about this route.

“And for the manhole, we have to find a way of temporarily seal it so that they can’t easily open it. But we have a duty to talk to our people. It is satanic for people to cut the metal fence. It is satanic for people to open the manhole and dump refuse there.

“This is not about the President alone. It’s not about HITECH or the Ministry of Works. It’s about the development of Nigeria.”

Section two Umahi said is,  also, expected to be delivered before the end of the year. All bridges across both sections, he said, are projected for completion by April 2027.

“Some people are not happy because they thought we were going to fail. They thought the President would fail. But when God brings you on board, there’s no power that can bring you down.

“This President has eight years to retake our country. And so those who are not happy should go and complain to God. You can see all the indices for our macroeconomy: the stability of the naira, our foreign reserve at $49b, inflation down to about 15%. These are not magical.”