A legal practitioner, Dr. Benson Enikuomehin has commended the bold initiative of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road.
He recalled that the project initiated since 1970’s finally came to fruition in 2024 under the leadership of President Boal Ahmed Tinubu.
However, he noticed some flaws attributed to the Ministry of Works under Engineer David Umahi.
He made his position known at a press conference where he lamented that the project conceived to pass through some coastal communities was diverted in Ondo state largely known for its coastal communities.
He wants the Federal Government to review this and correct the anomalies.
Below is the full text of the press conference.
PRESS CONFERENCE BY COMMITTEE OF LAWYERS AND STAKEHOLDERS HELD ON THE 10TH OF SEPTEMBER 2026 IN LAGOS TO ADDRESS THE MARGINALIZATION AND UNFAIR EXCLUSION OF ONDO COASTAL COMMUNITIES FROM THE LAGOS-CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY PROJECT
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took a bold step in February 2024 when he revived the idea of having a coastal highway going through the coast from Lagos to Calabar. The coastal highway had been in the pipeline since 1970s, but successive governments had paid lip-service to its actualization. The bold step which the President described as “a symbol of hope, unity, and prosperity…it will connect our communities in nine states, foster trade and commerce, boost tourism and create new opportunities” has rekindled the hopes in the coastal communities of Nigeria particularly those who reside in the Niger-Delta region of the country.
For us in Ondo State, this is a welcome development. The entire coastline of the state stretches for about 80-100km. The area is occupied by the Ilaje of the Yoruba ethnic group. The communities span from Irokun-Agerige-Upare-Ugbonla-Ilepete-Obe-Enikanoselu-Obe-Rewoye-Jirinwo-Awoye-Odun-Igo to Oghoye.
The speed with which the company that was awarded the project commenced its work is highly commendable. The road took off from the axis of Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island, Lagos and terminates (going through the coast) in Calabar in Cross River State, a distance of 700km.
It is not in doubt that Hitech Construction Company has made significant impact from Section 1 of the road, which covers a distance of 47km from Ahmadu Way, Lagos to Eleko. The Coastal Highway, (as it is called), navigates along the coast all through the sections in Lagos State. When it comes to Ogun State, it slightly moves about 2-3km inland to accommodate the development mapped out by the Ogun State government.
The dispute between Ogun State and Ondo State as regards Eba Island does not bring any controversy as to the fact that Irokun community falls squarely within Ondo State. Not wanting to emerge in the controversy of Eba Island, it can safely be said that from Irokun community, the coastal highway commences in Ondo State.
It is a known fact that of all the coastal states in Nigeria, Ondo State unarguably has the longest coastline of about 80-100km. It is therefore reasonable that the COASTAL HIGHWAY will pass through the coastline communities of Ondo State before getting to Delta State and on through the other states to Calabar.
It is however very shocking that the concept of the coastal highway has now been bastardized and balkanized by the Ministry of Works under the supervision of Senator David Umahi. More than 60% of the coastal communities in Ilaje LGA of Ondo State have now been bypassed and sidelined. Available records and data reveal that the coastal road has now assumed a new name as “INLAND HIGHWAY ROAD” when it comes to the Ondo State communities. This is courtesy the Minister of Works and his Ministry. The road now passes through Oke-Upare in Ondo State to link communities in Ovia North and Ovia West of Edo State so as to accommodate Gelegele community in Edo State which is about 10-20km from the coastline. It is not in dispute that Edo State does not have a single coastal community that aborts the sea. The Gelegele community which is closer to the sea has a distance of about 10-20km from the coastline.
INJUSTICE
The injustice meted to the Ondo State communities by the Ministry of Works (under the supervision of Senator David Umahi) along the coast is both intentional and deliberate. Notable communities such as Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo, Awoye, Igho etc have completely been taken off the coastal route. These communities fall squarely within the initial coastal route where the coastal highway is meant to pass.
The injustice, and the orchestrated marginalization against the Ilaje people began when additional 100km was added to the initial 700km (bringing the distance to 800km) to accommodate Edo State AT ALL COST in the Coastal Highway. All the initial drawings and mappings of the road have now been jettisoned.
It must be noted that HIGHWAY FROM LAGOS TO CALABAR is meant for the coast. It is not a Niger Delta Affairs: IT IS A COASTAL ROAD! Any State that does not fall within the coast in Nigeria will not be considered. This accounts for why states like Abia and Imo, though oil producing States are not considered in this project.
The intentional distortion of the COASTAL HIGHWAY to accommodate NON-COASTAL STATES makes a mockery of the name of the road:-COASTAL HIGHWAY.
From the axis of Lagos, Ogun, Delta up to Calabar in Cross River State, the road remains COASTAL HIGHWAY in material particular. It is only in Ondo State the Minister and his Ministry of Works have now doctored/altered the concept of COASTAL HIGHWAY to become INLAND HIGHWAY. There is no justifiable reason(s) for perpetuating this monumental heinous crime against the coastal Ilaje communities leaving on the coastline of Ondo State.
INELEGANT JUSTIFICATION OF DIVERTING THE ROUTE TO EDO STATE
The Federal Ministry of Works and the Minister have argued that the cost of constructing the road through these Ilaje communities is exorbitant. It has been erroneously canvassed that it will cost the Federal Government of Nigeria more money if the road were to traverses through the coastline of Ondo State, which is Ilaje communities. This lame argument is against the weight of evidence in respect of the road.
Available and indisputable facts reveal that navigating the road through Ugbonla in Ondo State to Escravos in Delta (on a straight line) will take about 60-75km, whereas the detour to inland in Edo from Ebute-Ipare-Ovia North, Ovia West-Gelegele in Edo State to Warri in Delta is about 130-150km. While the cost of building 1km road on the axis of Ugbonla through the coastal communities to Escravos will cost ₦4 Billion to ₦7.5 Billion per km, that of constructing same in severe swampy with massive bridges through Oke-Upare to Gelegele in Edo to Warri will cost ₦7.5 Billion to ₦12 Billion per km. The estimated cost of the road through Ugbonla route is about ₦240 Billion to ₦450 Billion, while the detour to Edo State will cost a whooping sum of ₦970 Billion to ₦1.5 Trillion. What is more, while the alignment on Ugbonla in Ondo to Escravos in Delta is straight forward and aligns with the concept of “Coastal Highway”, the detour to Edo State is volatile, eroding immediate shoreline and renders the concept of coastline a mirage.
It is obvious from the data available at our disposal that the linear distance of Route B (Upare-Ovia West-Gelegele-Warri) doubles the physical footprint of the project. The porous argument that it costs more to navigate through the Ilaje communities is unfounded. The Minister of works cannot produce modern engineering design which makes Ilaje communities in the coast unpassable. The cost of constructing the road is by half less than the herculean burden created in diverting it through Edo State. It is on record that in 2010 the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded the construction of Ugbo-Oghoye Road Phase 1 spanning 40km. The cost then was ₦19.4 Billion. The Bureau of Public Procurement in its certificate dated August 13th 2010 referenced BPP/S.1/Vol.VII/09/222 gave a certificate of no objection for the award of the project.
It is therefore amazing that the Federal Government, which has more resources and more technical knowledge than a mere agency, (such as the NDDC) can now be complaining about the difficulty of the terrain of the road. This argument is shallow, porous, unreasonable and does not tally with any logic. If the Federal Government of Nigeria cannot construct this road through the Ilaje community, is it the councillor from the community that will embark on the road project?
Diverting the road therefore to Edo State is a calculated attempt to marginalize and victimize the coastal communities of Ondo State. While we are not opposed to Edo State benefitting from this project, we strongly maintain that the road must remain COASTAL through Ondo State, passing through Ilaje communities on the coast. It is UNFAIR, UNJUST and indeed very WICKED to take the road through 20-30km from the sea when it gets to the Ondo State section.
The Minister of works should not bamboozle us with the high cost of the road because the cost of traversing through Upare – Ovia West- Gele-Gele-Warri is twice the cost of navigating the road through Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo, Awoye, Igho etc to Escravos in Delta State.
It is our view that the action embarked upon by the Minister is contrary to section 42 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) which forbids the discrimination of a people in respect of their ethnic group, place of origin etc. We perceive that the Ilaje communities are being discriminated against to satisfy a particular ethnic group in Edo State. The Minister of works should come out clean on his motive in advising Mr. President to change his mind in making the road un-coastal in the Ondo section, but same to remain coastal in other states such as Lagos, Ogun, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River. Are we to believe that the Ilaje people are being made sacrificial lambs to satisfy a particular ethnic group in Edo State whose community has no boundary whatsoever with the coast? What interests is the Minister of Works serving by making the Highway UN-COASTAL in the Ondo State section? Is it a crime that the Ilajes (Yoruba Ethnic group) constitute EXCLUSIVELY the coastal communities of Ondo State? It is only the Minister of Works that can provide answers to these questions.
We plead with Mr. President to PASSIONALY look into the plight of our people in Ilaje coastal communities of Ondo State and redress this monumental injustice.
Thank you.
Dated this 10th day of September, 2026
Dr. Benson Enikuomehin, Esq, FCPA
Attorney-at Law
Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
10/09/2026
