The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has confirmed that the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled immediately after completion and inauguration, stressing that tolling is a core component of the project’s delivery framework.
Umahi made this known on Saturday during an inspection tour of the ongoing coastal highway project, noting that the tolling system would be managed by the contractor as part of the agreed project package.
According to the minister, the Federal Government will not open the road for unrestricted public use without first putting tolling infrastructure in place.
“I must emphasise that this road will be tolled, and by the contractor, it is part of the package. I do not want to open this road permanently for traffic and then begin discussions about tolling,” Umahi said.
He added that the contractor would be required to present a clear implementation timeline, including the installation of tolling facilities, before the road is commissioned.
“The contractor must give us a programme and commence tolling infrastructure before the end of April. We have to toll this route as soon as it is completed and commissioned,” he stated.
Budget Adjustments, No Further Increase — Umahi
Addressing concerns over rising costs due to realignment and construction challenges, the minister ruled out any further budget increase for the project.
Umahi disclosed that all re-measurements had been concluded and that the Federal Government had already engaged the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to approve necessary adjustments.
“There is no opening to increase the project cost further. We are a country with many competing priorities,” he said.
He revealed that the project recorded a ₦170 billion cost increase, attributed to major engineering challenges, including route diversions to protect high-rise buildings, extensive shoreline protection works, and the evacuation of massive refuse dumps some as deep as 15 metres and stretching across several kilometres.
Despite the challenges, Umahi praised Hitech Construction Company for absorbing part of the risks as its contribution to national development.
“Hitech has taken on these risks, and that is part of its commitment to building our nation,” the minister added.
