DESIGN  OF 1000KM SOKOTO- BADAGRY  UNDERWAY AS FG PLANS  A NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK  PROGRAMME  THAT LINKS THE 6 GEO-POLITICAL ZONES FOR ENHANCED TRANSPORTATION ECOSYSTEM

The Honourable Minister of Works  His Excellency, Sen Engr. Dr. Nweze David Umahi CON has expressed the plan of the Renewed Hope administration of the President of Nigeria, His Excellency President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to connect  the 6 -Geo- political  Zones  of the country with enduring  network  of road that will in turn foster a more secure, safer and sustainable transportation  ecosystem.  

The Honourable Minister  gave this indication during  his inspection visit to the km 47 axis of the  Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project at  Eleko,  Lagos State  which the contractor moved to handle due to the ongoing  demolition  around the km 3- 4 of the highway. Speaking  during  the visit, the Honourable Minister, accompanied  by the Federal  Controller of Works, Lagos State, Engr. (Mrs) O. I. Kesha and other technical  team of the Ministry, revealed that he had received  a directive  by Mr. President to commence the immediate  design of the Sokoto- Badagry  Highway,  which is a spur to the Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway.

He stated, "And I'm happy that Mr. President has also directed me to start the immediate design of the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, and that one is 1,000 kilometers .

We've started the design, and I'm very sure that as soon as FEC approves it, we will be starting at Sokoto side, which is going to be the zero point. 

In the course  of the  inspection, the Honourable  Minister noted  the need to realign the coastal  highway  around  the  axis of the Lekki Deep Sea Port at the point of km 47  by constructing a flyover bridge across the Dangote/ Hitech  concrete pavement so as to  allign with the economic values  of the coastal highway.

He stated, "We have chosen another alignment that is going to be parallel to the road that is going to the Lekki Deep Sea port at kilometer 47.

And that's the end of section one of phase one. And so we are very happy with that decision.

We use a flyover to fly over the Dangote HiTech road that is coming from Lekki Deep Sea port going to Epe and joining the road that is going from Lekki Deep Sea  to Lagos being done by the State Government."

He commended  Hitech Construction Nigeria Limited  for the quality  and speed of the job and hoped that with their capacity and track records, and the manifest political will of Mr. President, the 700 km project would be completed within the  8 years of the Renewed Hope administration of  Mr. President, noting  that the coastal  highway  project  will connect  the entire country  through  the spurs going  to the North by  both North East and  North West as well as  North Central.

He said, "We are very, very excited with the quality of work they are doing, with the speed of work. It gives us the confidence that this Coastal road will be constructed within the two times tenure of Mr. President."

He further  stated, "We also have another spur that is going to go from Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja going to Cameroon. And so we have that spur. It's about 361 kilometers going through Otukpo to Benue,  Nasarawa, and ends up at Apo in Abuja. We are also going to be presenting it to Mr. President.

When this is done, then the coastal road, like we promised, is going to circle the entire country."

On the much media hyped  report  on the impact of the demolition  exercise  along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway  section 1, phase 1 as it affects the Landmark  investment, the Honourable Minister made it clear that  the Landmark  properties were intact and that the owner of the investment has no title  to the 250 meters  shoreline which is  the right of way  belonging the Federal Government.

He said, "We are looking at the feelings of the people, and we're looking at economic values by making sure that, as much as possible, we follow the coast and also follow the right of way that is legally within the right of way of the Federal Government.

This is not to say that for the interest of the nation and in line with our laws that lands cannot be acquired in the overall interest of the public."