President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerians to remain patient with his administration, assuring them that, despite current economic difficulties, meaningful progress is being made.
While commissioning Phase 1, Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway on Saturday—a 30-kilometre stretch of the 750-kilometre project—Tinubu acknowledged the ongoing struggles of the people but reiterated his belief in a brighter future.
“I know at this stage, your expectation is still very high and our people are still experiencing hardship,” he said. “I take this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians that the hope is here and it is realisable.”
The President pointed to signs of economic recovery, such as a reduction in inflation, reforms in the foreign exchange system, and the near eradication of fuel subsidy-related corruption.
“You would be proud of the benefits; there is light at the end of the tunnel. Inflation is coming down, the corruption in the exchange rate is eliminated, the corruption in fuel subsidy is limited to the barest minimum.
“It is all for you, the people. We are reducing the cost of manufacturing and encouraging local production. We give all incentives for everyone to abide by the principle. May God bless our country; may God bless Lagos State and keep our fighting soldiers safe.”
Tinubu also issued a strong caution to developers, stressing that any construction on federal lands without the necessary approvals would not be eligible for compensation.
“Let me at this stage warn all developers: the Federal Government reinforced the setbacks for the interest of our nation. Development without approval will not be compensated. We have gazetted and published the setbacks; we are going to enforce it rigidly in every way possible,” he said.
At the same event, Minister of Works David Umahi described the highway as a six-lane road with a total width of 60 meters. He also clarified the situation surrounding the Landmark property, noting that only portions that encroached on the shoreline were affected.
“Mr President, I want to state that we did no harm to the Landmark property. It is by your order that we should save as much infrastructure as possible even though they violated the gazetted route,” Umahi explained.
“The Landmark infrastructure is intact. What went off was their encroachment on our front shoreline, and the Supreme Court ruled that 250 metres from the shoreline belong to the Federal Government, and so we didn’t do that,” he added.
Umahi also shared that Tinubu had directed state governors overseeing key federal road projects to set aside a 500-meter buffer from the road’s edge to accommodate future tolling plans.
In an unusual move, Tinubu authorized the payment of compensation even for structures that were built illegally along the project route—something not typically covered under the law. Umahi revealed that N18 billion had already been paid out in compensation for the first phase.
