UNDER the radar for a lengthy period after its conception, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is finally taking off under a storm of controversy. A 700-kilometre turnpike infrastructure, the project has attracted commendation and condemnation in equal measures since the Bola Tinubu administration approved it in February. For a country with a legacy of woeful infrastructure, it is an ambitious undertaking. Rather than being combative, Tinubu and Works Minister David Umahi should lay out the bare facts to reassure Nigerians that the LCCH is a worthwhile venture.

The project is chequered, having gained traction under Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, the two presidents who preceded Tinubu. From a four-lane double carriageway, it has been expanded to a 10-lane highway. It will run from Lagos and end at Calabar, the capital of Cross River State.

So far, it is the largest single infrastructure in Nigeria and will traverse nine states, including Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers with two spurs to the North. To be constructed in stages, starting with the 1.3km Lagos end and the Calabar end in July, the duration of the construction is eight years (the tenure of Tinubu, according to Umahi), and will gulp N4 billion per kilometre or N15 trillion-plus.

This is where the controversy begins. Politically speaking, Umahi is jumping the gun. Elections are due in 2027 and for now, the political horizon is still hazy.

Property owners along the route are protesting the notice of demolition of the properties on its right of way; several communities are to be affected.

The major one is Landmark Beach, a high-end resort located on Victoria Island. The owner says the company has invested $200 million in the centre, which reportedly attracted one million customers in 2023, employs 4,000 workers, and paid N2 billion in annual taxes. Paul Onwuanibe, the CEO, says the demolition would scare away international investors.

This should be carefully handled, and compensation paid to all the other properties to be demolished. Umahi says Landmark will be spared.

There are other concerns, especially in ecology and the environment. Critics point to the cost and the alleged failure to adhere to due process, that the bidding was not competitive. In addition, the owners of Hitech, the company that won the bid, reportedly have ties to Tinubu. Under Jonathan, the LCCH was to cost $12 billion, and $11.1 billion under Buhari. Umahi says the cost has jumped to $13 billion-plus.

Already, organised labour has taken Umahi to task after the minister said the toll fees would start at N1,500 for a car and up to N3,000 per truck.

To attain the LCCH, the funding plan should be radically different. The 127.5km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is still under construction after 20 years. A presidential infrastructure audit committee listed about 8,000 abandoned projects across the country. The turnpike Badagry-Sokoto Highway mooted in the Second Republic, is grounded.

On the positive side, the LCCH can put Nigeria on the global infrastructure map. As it will be tolled, the income from users will pay for the cost in 15 years, Umahi said. It is a plus that there is a provision to build a rail system in the middle of it.

If completed on schedule, it will alleviate Nigeria’s huge infrastructure deficit. The African Development Bank calculates that Nigeria requires $100 billion annually over 30 years to bridge the deficit.

Turnpike infrastructure projects are common. A major one is the 1,056km Pacific Coast Highway in the United States, which cuts across several states. It is the longest state route there. There is also the 306km El Salvador Coastal Highway Project, primarily targeted at evacuating large agricultural resources.

Ultimately, Nigerians will appreciate the project when their government moves with the same speed to construct the slew of abandoned projects currently making their lives miserable.

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