“We’ve Sailed Past Epe!” — Umahi Fires Back at Donald Duke, Says Tinubu’s Coastal Highway Is Becoming an Unstoppable Reality
By Pan Afric Reporters
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has dismissed former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke’s scepticism over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway, declaring that the flagship infrastructure project of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already advanced beyond Epe and is progressing simultaneously across several states.
The minister said ongoing construction on multiple sections of the Renewed Hope signature project has rendered earlier doubts about its feasibility obsolete, insisting that the Federal Government remains firmly committed to completing what he described as one of Nigeria’s most transformative infrastructure projects.
The position was contained in a press statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Works and signed by Francis Nwaze, FIPMD, Senior Special Assistant to the Honourable Minister of Works (Media).
Speaking during an inspection of Section 4B of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway in Ondo State on Wednesday, Umahi said the project has become a reality that is already delivering jobs, boosting security and opening new economic corridors for commerce, agriculture and education.
Referring directly to Donald Duke’s earlier comments suggesting the highway might not extend beyond Epe, the minister said events on the ground had overtaken such predictions.
“So the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is already on sail. And then so we have sail past Lagos that my brother Donald Duke talked about,” Umahi declared.
According to him, construction is currently progressing simultaneously across several states, with works ongoing in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
He disclosed that work is advancing on 28 kilometres in Ogun State, 52 kilometres in Ondo State, 27 kilometres in Cross River, while the first section in Akwa Ibom covers about 47 kilometres, with another 180-kilometre stretch representing the longest section of the entire highway.
Umahi noted that many of the ongoing projects have already surpassed 60 per cent completion.
The minister described the Coastal Highway as far more than a transportation project, saying it is driving employment, strengthening security and expanding economic opportunities across the coastal corridor.
“Roads are source of employment. We’ve counted over one thousand people within this section employed by HITECH. It is creating a lot of direct and indirect jobs. It is also solving the problem of insecurity,” he said.
He added that increased security presence around construction sites, supported by local vigilantes and community participation, has significantly improved safety while opening new opportunities for trade, farming and educational development.
Umahi maintained that while criticism of government policies remains part of democracy, such criticism should be constructive and solution-oriented.
“If you want to criticize us, criticize us constructively and offer alternatives,” he stated.
Reaffirming President Tinubu’s resolve to complete the mega project, the minister expressed confidence that the administration would fulfil its promise.
“According to the words of President Bola Tinubu, he said this project will be done. With God on his side, it will be done,” he said.
Umahi also appealed to people of the Niger Delta to support the project, describing it as a transformational investment that would redefine the region’s economic future.
“It is up to Niger Delta people to open their mouth and defend these projects. They should defend the project. They should defend the President. They must have to vote for the President to complete this project,” he said.
The minister argued that opposition to the Coastal Highway does not represent the interests of Niger Delta communities.
“Those who are attacking the coastal highway, they don’t have love for the Niger Delta people,” he asserted.
Addressing allegations that the highway alignment was altered to benefit private estates, Umahi dismissed the claims, explaining that engineering realities and cost considerations informed the decision.
He revealed that the original coastal alignment encountered soil deposits reaching depths of about 50 metres and would have required bridges spanning three major ocean channels of approximately 3.5 kilometres each, making construction technically difficult and prohibitively expensive.
According to him, the revised alignment followed President Tinubu’s directive to minimise crossings over large water bodies while ensuring the project’s technical and economic viability.
“The President wants the Ministry of Works, as much as possible, to minimize large ocean body waters and rivers. So we had to navigate it in compliance with the directive of the President that this project must be realized,” Umahi explained.
The minister further described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway as one of Nigeria’s most transparent and cost-effective infrastructure projects.
He disclosed that officials of Deutsche Bank, during financing discussions for the first section, commended the engineering design and procurement process, noting that the project was undervalued rather than overpriced.
Umahi said the financing offer became oversubscribed by 100 million US dollars, which he described as proof of investor confidence in the project.
The minister also praised HITECH Construction Company for maintaining high engineering standards, professionalism and cordial relations with host communities.
“We commend very highly the doggedness of HITECH, the partnership of HITECH, the good spirit, the good work and the community friendliness. It doesn’t matter what anybody with envy and jealousy says, you are our partners,” he said.
Looking ahead, Umahi expressed optimism that President Tinubu’s infrastructure revolution would leave a lasting legacy for future generations.
“Under President Bola Tinubu, this country shall be rebuilt. Every one of these roads that he is constructing, for the next hundred years, maintenance free, we will not reconstruct it,” the minister said.
