IYC Urges Tinubu to Preserve Original Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Route

The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide has called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway follows its originally approved coastal route, warning that any change could leave communities in parts of the South-South outside the infrastructure project. The council made the appeal on Thursday during a press conference at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where its National President, Dr Doubra Okotete, led calls for the Federal Government to clarify the highway’s proposed alignment. The IYC urged Tinubu to direct the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to maintain the original route through Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states, arguing that the 750-kilometre project should deliver infrastructure to the coastal communities it was intended to serve. The controversy followed remarks attributed to Umahi concerning the possibility of directing parts of the project towards the existing East-West Road from Ondo State. The council said such a move could undermine the interests of communities across the Niger Delta and called for the immediate commencement of work on the Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers sections, alongside construction on the Lagos-Ondo and Cross River-Akwa Ibom stretches. ### IYC Demands Release of Highway Designs The council asked the Federal Government to make the approved engineering designs and drawings for the entire coastal highway available to the public. According to the IYC, publishing the documents would help address concerns about the project’s direction and establish whether the original coastal alignment would be maintained. It argued that the route had undergone feasibility studies and design work before construction commenced, insisting that the government should provide clear assurances about the sections yet to be developed. The council also called on Tinubu to intervene directly, saying the project should proceed according to the original plan rather than leave affected communities uncertain about their inclusion. The IYC maintained that the proposed highway should not be treated as interchangeable with the East-West Road, which serves a different transportation corridor. ### Council Challenges Cost and Terrain Concerns The IYC rejected financial constraints and difficult terrain as sufficient reasons to abandon the original coastal alignment. It pointed to road and bridge projects across the Niger Delta as evidence that construction in swampy and riverine environments was possible with adequate planning and investment. Among the projects it cited were the Nembe-Brass Road, Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie Road and Ekeremor-Agge Road in Bayelsa State. It also referenced the Port Harcourt-Okrika Road and Bonny Ring Road projects, arguing that experience from these developments demonstrated the possibility of delivering infrastructure in challenging terrain. The council further maintained that revenues generated from the region’s oil and gas resources had contributed to national development and that coastal communities should also benefit from major federal infrastructure investments. It offered to sponsor a visit by former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke to Bayelsa to inspect some of the projects and assess the engineering challenges involved in road construction across the region. The offer followed concerns attributed to Duke about the feasibility and cost of completing the coastal highway along its original route. ### Umahi Says East-West Road Project Is Additional The Minister of Works has disputed suggestions that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is being abandoned in favour of the East-West Road. In a clarification reported by Channels Television on October 12, Umahi said the proposed reconstruction of approximately 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, extending from Edo State towards Cross River State, was an additional project and would not replace the 750-kilometre coastal highway. The minister said construction was continuing on several sections of the coastal highway, while surveying and design work remained underway for other stretches through the Niger Delta. He added that procurement and construction on the outstanding sections would commence after the necessary surveys and designs were completed. The clarification has not, however, resolved all concerns raised by groups seeking details of the highway’s alignment and the communities expected to benefit from the remaining sections. The IYC said the government needed to demonstrate its commitment through the release of approved engineering documents and the commencement of work across the affected states. ### IYC Warns of Political Consequences The council also warned that any decision perceived as excluding South-South communities from the project could affect public confidence in the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections. It argued that political developments in the region, including the movement of some state governors into the APC, had raised expectations of greater federal investment and infrastructure delivery. The IYC cautioned that assurances alone would not be enough to address those expectations if construction did not progress along the designated coastal corridor. It nevertheless described the Ijaw people as peaceful and accommodating, while urging the Minister of Works to exercise caution in public statements and decisions concerning the project. The council reiterated its demand that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway retain its original route and that construction proceed across all designated sections without further delay. With the Federal Government maintaining that the coastal highway remains intact, the next major issue is the clarity of the approved alignment and the timeline for construction on the outstanding sections.