Minister Umahi Dismisses Crack Concerns on Lagos Coastal Highway, Outlines Nationwide Road Works

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed public concerns over a crack spotted along Section 1 of the Lake Oscar Lagos Coastal Highway, insisting that the issue is not a structural defect but a natural occurrence affecting an incomplete shoulder area of the road.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Umahi clarified that the reported cracks were not on the main carriageway, but on the sand-filled shoulder section, which is still under construction.

“That section has not been completed. The crack is on the shoulder, not on the main road. It’s due to water pounding the sand-filled area where we are yet to install underground drainage,” he explained.

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Not a Structural Failure

The minister stressed that the highway is being built with multiple safety layers, including buried cable ducts and an extensive underground drainage system. He emphasised that no completed section of the carriageway has developed cracks, and assured Nigerians that the road is structurally sound.

He urged the public to ignore social media videos suggesting otherwise, describing them as misleading.

“We also have to put the underground drainage. People even say there is no drainage there — we have underground drainage running 750 kilometres by two. When people build below our road level, because it bears the highest water level of the coast, you can’t blame us for doing that,” he added.

According to Umahi, the erosion on the shoulder occurred naturally once water began to pound the sand-filled section. This, he said, will be addressed once the drainage works are completed.

Emergency Road Repairs Nationwide

Beyond the Lagos Coastal Highway, Umahi outlined a series of palliative and reconstruction projects underway across Nigeria.

In Lagos, works include safety upgrades on the Third Mainland Bridge and Carter Bridge, where restrictions on heavy vehicles have been imposed to prevent damage. The ministry is also installing protective gantries before and after critical flyovers to stop over-height trucks from hitting beams, with spike systems to physically block such vehicles.

The minister further noted ongoing rehabilitation of the Lagos–Badagry Expressway, Ibadan–Ife–Ilesa corridor, and Lagos–Abeokuta road, all of which are being reconstructed using concrete pavement technology for longer durability.

He also confirmed that the Ido Bridge is being rebuilt by Julius Berger following past structural damage caused by encroachment and fire incidents.

Presidential Directive on Road Funding

Umahi revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has instructed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to secure alternative funding for all abandoned or slow-paced NNPC-funded road projects across the country.

“We have a number of projects that the NNPC helped with. The north has 53 per cent of those projects, and the south has 47 per cent. Mr. President has directed that no NNPC project should stop,” Umahi said.

Regional Project Updates

• South-East & South-South: Major works are ongoing on the Enugu–Onitsha road, Asaba–Benin road, and the Summit Junction–First Niger Bridge link road. Collapsed bridges in Delta and Bayelsa states are also receiving emergency repairs.
• North-Central: Reconstruction is in progress on the Lokoja–Abuja bridge and the Keffi flyover.
• North-West & North-East: Ongoing projects include the Katsina–Benue corridor, Kaba–Ekiti road, and Kano–Maiduguri expressway, all aimed at improving inter-regional connectivity.

Umahi stressed that these interventions are critical because “movement is like oxygen”, and road closures effectively trap communities in isolation.

Government’s Commitment to Long-Neglected Projects

Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, also addressed the briefing, commending President Tinubu’s resolve to revive and complete road projects abandoned for more than four decades.

He appealed to journalists and media platforms to ensure accuracy and verification before publishing stories, warning that misleading reports can undermine public trust in government initiatives.

“This is a government with an open-door policy. We urge the media to seek clarifications directly from us. Nigeria is our country, and we must work together to build it,” Goronyo stated.

Public Reassurance

Umahi’s remarks were aimed at calming public fears that the Lagos Coastal Highway, one of Nigeria’s most ambitious infrastructure projects, was already showing signs of failure. By clarifying that the observed crack is limited to an incomplete shoulder and unrelated to the main road structure, the minister sought to reassure Nigerians of the project’s long-term integrity.

He emphasised that drainage works and other safety measures are still in progress, and once completed, such erosion-related cracks will not pose a threat to the road.

In essence, while social media commentary has raised alarm over the state of the Lagos Coastal Highway, the Ministry of Works maintains that there is no structural compromise. Instead, it frames the observed crack as a temporary and expected issue in an unfinished section of the project.

The minister’s broader update on ongoing nationwide repairs also signals that the Tinubu administration is prioritising road infrastructure as a driver of economic and social connectivity, with an emphasis on durability, safety, and regional balance in project allocation.