Senator Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, announced on Sunday the commencement of the design phase for the ambitious Sokoto-Badagry Coastal Highway, following a presidential directive.
This announcement came as Umahi concluded an inspection of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway’s initial section and its realignment in Lagos.
Umahi expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “I’m happy that Mr President has also directed me to start the immediate design of the Sokoto-Badagry Coastal Highway.
“This one is a spur of the Coastal highway, and that one is 1000 kilometres.
“We’ve started the design and I’m very sure that as soon as the Federal Executive Council approves it, we will be starting at the Sokoto side, which is the zero point.
“We also have another spur which is going to go from Enugu -Abakaliki-Ogoja going to Cameroon.
“So we have that spur and it’s about 361 kilometres, going through Otukpo to Benue to Nasarawa and ends up at Apo in Abuja.
“We are also going to be presenting it to Mr President, and when this is done, then the coastal routes as we promised will go to circle the entire country,” he added.
The Minister underscored the significance of the coastal road, which upon completion, will link the South-West, South-South, North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions of Nigeria.
He believes that this project, a first of its kind in Africa, will stand as a monumental legacy.
Umahi concluded, “So, this will be the legacy that we’ve never seen in Africa, and I think that God has sent Mr President to do this and he’s just doing it.
“He’s a man of courage and we are also learning courage following him,”
