The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has challenged critics of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to a public debate, insisting that the project is progressing steadily and will deliver significant economic benefits to Nigerians.

Umahi threw the challenge on Sunday in Lagos at a press conference and stakeholders’ engagement on the coastal highway, where he dismissed claims that the project had stalled or would not extend beyond Lagos.

The minister said construction had already moved beyond Epe and was progressing simultaneously across different sections of the 700-kilometre corridor.

“Let anybody tell me any state that is not a construction site under President Bola Tinubu. I am waiting for a debate on this,” Umahi said.

He also defended the cost of the project, reportedly estimated at about N4bn per kilometre, arguing that the pace and extent of construction on the highway demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to completing it.

According to Umahi, Lot 1 of the project had been completed, while Lot 2 was more than 80 per cent complete.

He disclosed that construction had reached Ondo State, while work was also progressing in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

“We have done over 30 per cent of the job in Calabar and Akwa Ibom. We have started the largest section, 180km by 2,” he said.

Umahi added that subsequent phases would extend the construction corridor through Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers and Edo states as work advances towards Cross River.

The minister maintained that the coastal highway was conceived as more than a road project, arguing that it would unlock economic activities, facilitate transportation and create opportunities for communities and businesses along the coastline.

He rejected calls for the project to be abandoned on the grounds that existing roads across the country required rehabilitation, insisting that the Federal Government could pursue both road rehabilitation and the construction of new infrastructure.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has remained one of the most controversial infrastructure projects under the Tinubu administration, with opposition politicians, civil society groups and other stakeholders questioning its cost, procurement process, execution and timing.

Some critics have argued that scarce public resources should instead be channelled into repairing deteriorating roads already in use across the country.

The project has also triggered disputes over the demolition of properties along parts of the route, with affected residents and property owners raising concerns about compensation and the impact of the construction on their livelihoods.

Flagged off in May 2024, the coastal highway is designed to run from Lagos through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom before terminating in Cross River State.

Despite the controversies surrounding the project, Umahi said the Federal Government remained committed to its completion.

He also cautioned residents and motorists against loitering, trading or sleeping on sections of the highway under construction, warning that such activities could expose them to danger as work intensifies.