Umahi: Lagos-Calabar highway’ll be tolled from December

Minister of Works David Umahi says a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is nearing completion, noting that users will have to pay a toll starting in December 2025.

Umahi said this in an interview for an upcoming State House documentary marking Tinubu’s second anniversary in Abuja on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

The minister revealed that over 80 per cent of Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway – spanning 47.47 kilometres from Ahmadu Bello Way to the Lekki Deep Sea Port and terminating at Eleko Junction – had been completed.

He stated that work is also progressing on Section 2, which covers 55 kilometres from Eleko Junction to the Lagos-Ogun border.

Umahi said: “By December, we will toll Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. We project a 10-year return on investment. The road has solar-powered lighting and CCTV infrastructure and offers carbon credit advantages.

2027: All South-East governors supporting Tinubu’s re-election — Umahi

“It is more than a road – it is an economic corridor and a catalyst for regional growth. We have completed 30 kilometres of Section 1 and are on track to complete an additional 10 in Section 2. These are six-lane, concrete-paved highways.

“Just days ago, we flagged off Sections 3 and 3B – 65 kilometres in total – covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom. The host communities’ excitement speaks to these projects’ transformative impact.”

Speaking on the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, the minister explained its significance, noting that the route was conceived during the Shehu Shagari administration over four decades ago.

“The Trans-Saharan Trade Route dates back to colonial-era planning. President Tinubu is now bringing these long-abandoned visions to life,” Umahi added.

The Star