When President Tinubu unveiled plans to construct the Lagos – Calabar coastal highway, he began arguably one of Africa’s most gigantic undertakings in decades. Poised to be a transformative piece of infrastructure, the Nigerian government says the strategic road will enhance connectivity and boost economic growth along the coastal states by bolstering trade, tourism, and agriculture by providing a direct and efficient route for transporting goods and people.
It will span 700 kilometres, cost a whopping N15 trillion and the timeline given is eight years. For a project so promising, it’s facing controversies and criticisms over transparency and prioritisation way too early. It may likely run into the same land mines that plagued its predecessors, such as the Lagos – Ibadan expressway.
With prominent figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioning the procurement process and cost estimates, many Nigerians now label the project as potentially wasteful…