Nigerian federal highway infrastructure development

Minister of Works David Umahi has ordered the acceleration of construction on the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway, directing contractors to open multiple work fronts and halting building demolitions along the project alignment pending a formal review.

In response to these developments, regional leaders and local communities have raised specific concerns. The South-South Governors’ Forum, led by Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, has rejected proposals to merge or realign the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the East-West Road. Acting as Chairman of the Forum, Diri communicated to Minister Umahi that the governors are “unanimous in their support for the original coastal alignment,” maintaining that the two projects are distinct and that the East-West Road reconstruction should not serve as a substitute for the coastal highway.

This opposition is shared by the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), which criticized the federal government’s decision to divert the highway due to terrain and construction costs. PANDEF argued that such a diversion would exclude several littoral oil-bearing communities from the intended connectivity and economic benefits.

Additionally, in Ebonyi State, the Ndiebor Ishieke Autonomous Community has called for the strict enforcement of ministerial directives regarding borrow-pit operations. Community leaders are demanding that contractors consult host communities and protect farmlands to prevent the loss of rural livelihoods.