6 strange things about Calabar-Lagos coastal highway

Since the project’s debut, there seems to have been constant debate around the Calabar-Lagos coastal route.

Atiku Abubakar, the opposition leader and former vice president, fueled the fire over the weekend by disclosing that President Bola Tinubu’s son Seyi is on the board of the company given the large contract and by alleging that the president seems more focused on enriching his friends and family.

According to analysts, the government has only been able to reveal a small portion of the enormous deal thus far.

The analysts have highlighted six mind-boggling questions because they are startled by the complete lack of empathy and transparency with which the construction is being handled:

Nigeria wants to construct a coastal highway that runs from Lagos to Calabar.Lagos is one of the possible starting points, but it must begin in Eko Atlantic, which is and always will be the domain of the ultra-wealthy, privileged elite. Why?

2. The public were informed that the Water Corporation road was the original coastal route when the Lekki expressway and toll gates were being built. Nigerians were informed that it would serve as a detour to the toll road. Currently, a significant portion of that road is practically unusable due to abandonment. However, we have decided to overlook it and instead construct a completely new “Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.” Why?

3. The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is such an ‘urgent’ project that work on it commenced even before it was announced to the public. Quite a feat and highly unusual for any government project in this part of the world. Typically, such projects are slow to take off and are riddled with delays. In this case it’s so very different. What’s the great, big hurry and why?

4. This is the only project of this magnitude Nigerians have ever seen/heard of where an EIA stakeholder meeting is being convened AFTER the project has commenced. It appears the views/concerns of stakeholders and the potential environmental impact of the project are of absolutely no concern to the project owners/sponsors. This is particularly strange given the centrality today of ESG factors to project financing and investment decisions.

5. Globally, there are major concerns over the impact on coastal cities of rising sea levels, erosion and climate change. According to some reports, Lagos is particularly at risk from rising sea levels. Yet our government appears to be embarking on constructing a coastal highway at a cost of N4B per KM with no hard evidence of having conducted a proper EIA. Why?

6. The opacity about the source of funds and the nature of the handshake between government and the private sector in the funding arrangements makes it all even more worrying. First the contractor was going to self-fund and then suddenly, – change of plan – the government is now going to fund. But we don’t know the full cost, nor was any competitive bidding done. Why?

Many questions but no one’s giving any answers and as we speak, the demolitions have started. What exactly is the reason for the apparent obfusacation and difficulty with (or is it reluctance to provide) providing full disclosure of information that should be in the public domain? The people are afterall being told the road and accompanying demolitions are for the greater good and in the public interest.

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