Minister of Works Dave Umahi has urged Nigerians in the Niger Delta to support and vote for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that continued support is necessary to ensure the completion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Umahi made the appeal while inspecting Section 4B of the project in Ondo State. He was responding to concerns raised by former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke over whether the project would extend beyond Epe in Lagos.
The minister dismissed the concerns, saying construction has already progressed beyond Lagos and is ongoing across several states, including Ogun, Ondo, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
According to Umahi, significant portions of the project are already under construction, while work has commenced on a 180-kilometre dual-carriageway section in Akwa Ibom. He described the highway as a major component of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with the potential to improve transportation, create jobs and stimulate commerce, agriculture and education across the coastal corridor.
Umahi also defended the project’s current alignment, explaining that the original coastal route was abandoned because of difficult terrain, deep soil deposits and the high cost of constructing multiple major bridges.
The minister further described the project as one of the Federal Government’s most transparent infrastructure initiatives and expressed confidence that it would be completed under the Tinubu administration.
He urged Nigerians to continue offering constructive criticism, while calling on the people of the Niger Delta to support the President and the coastal highway project through the 2027 election.