FG OPENS SECTION 1 OF LAGOS–CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY TO TRAFFIC AHEAD OF FESTIVE SEASON
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Commuters in Lagos received a major boost on Friday as the Federal Government temporarily opened Section 1 of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway to traffic, easing movement along the Lekki–Ajah corridor ahead of the festive season.
The newly opened section spans 47 kilometres, stretching from the Ahmadu Bello Way junction to the Eleko Village junction.
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, announced the development at an event in Lagos attended by government officials, traditional rulers and key stakeholders. He said the partial opening of the highway would significantly reduce traffic congestion and end the difficult commuting experience faced by road users in the Lekki–Ajah axis.
Umahi described the move as a fulfilment of the Federal Government’s promise to Nigerians, noting that the opening was in line with earlier assurances that Section 1 would be made accessible to motorists before mid-December 2025.
He added that although the section has been opened for use, full completion of Section 1 has been scheduled for April 2026.
The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the Federal Government’s flagship infrastructure projects, designed to run through nine coastal states. Starting from Lagos, the highway will pass through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states, where it will terminate.
With a projected total length of about 700 kilometres, the mega road project was approved by the Federal Executive Council in February 2024. Construction on the Lagos axis commenced in March 2024, while President Bola Tinubu formally flagged off the project in May of the same year.
The highway, estimated to cost about ₦4 billion per kilometre, is expected to be completed within eight years, according to Umahi. The project has generated controversy over its cost and the demolition of properties along the Lagos corridor, but the Federal Government has consistently defended the initiative as critical to national economic growth and regional connectivity.
Officials believe the temporary opening will provide immediate relief to commuters while construction continues on the remaining sections of the road.
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