Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Unfinished, Unfit for Commissioning- NEFGAD

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Unfinished, Unfit for Commissioning- NEFGAD

By: Michael Mike

The presentation of a 30-kilometre segment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a completed and commission-worthy project has drawn sharp criticism from NEFGAD, a leading public procurement advocacy group in Nigeria. .

In a statement signed at the weekend by its country head of office, Mr Akingunola Omoniyi, NEFGAD said it notes with deep concern that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 750-kilometre unbroken contract, meant to serve as a transformative infrastructure corridor across Nigeria’s coastal region. To commission just 30 kilometres—barely 4% of the total project length—while the rest remains under construction is premature and misleading.

We caution against the politicization of infrastructure delivery and stress that project commissioning should reflect substantive completion and usability of the project in its entirety or at least a major functional section. Presenting a fraction as the whole not only misrepresents the scope of work but risks undermining public trust in government communication and performance metrics.

The organisation urged the Minister of Work, David Umahi to be mindful of the kind of precedent this action sets, insisting that: “If left unchecked, this could normalize the commissioning of uncompleted or partially completed projects across the country—turning what should be moments of national progress into mere photo opportunities and political theatre.”

The statement added that: “The group says Mr President should not be put under undue pressure of commissioning unfinished projects, maintaining that government is a continum, hence, Mr Umahi should know that it is not possible for an administration to finish the business of governement to the extent of thinking that all projects initiatiated must be completed during a tenure. President Tinubu himself met projects initiated by previous administrations, completed and inaugurated them.

NEFGAD called on President Bola Tinubu to demand transparency and accountability in project delivery, noting that the people deserve full value for every public infrastructure initiative—not staged ceremonies that paper over incomplete work.

“We urge the Ministry of Works to recommit to credible milestones, uphold project integrity, and ensure that future commissionings are tied to real, completed achievements—not fragments dressed up as finished products,” the statement insisted.

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Unfinished, Unfit for Commissioning- NEFGAD