The Federal Government has officially renamed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway, citing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s long-standing vision for the landmark infrastructure project.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced the development on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja. He also revealed that President Tinubu had approved a 400-kilometre extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway, alongside the reconstruction of sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other major infrastructure projects across the country.
According to Umahi, the decision to rename the highway was reached by the Ministry of Works after consultations with the ministry’s leadership, including the Permanent Secretary, Minister of State, directors and other senior officials.
He explained that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway was named in recognition of Tinubu’s vision for the project, which dates back to his tenure as Governor of Lagos State about 27 years ago.
“That (coastal) highway is named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway. By the powers conferred on me as Minister of Works, in consultation with my Permanent Secretary, the Minister of State, directors and staff of the ministry, we decided to name it after him because of his dream for it,” Umahi said.
“He had that dream about 27 years back as governor of Lagos State. It is one thing to dream and another thing to have the grace of God to actualise that dream,” he added.
The minister described the first phase of the coastal highway as a major milestone in Nigeria’s transport infrastructure development. The section stretches 47.47 kilometres from Victoria Island to Lekki and features a six-lane carriageway with a 25-metre-wide median reserved for a future railway line.
Beyond the renaming of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway, Umahi disclosed that President Tinubu had approved a significant expansion of the Fourth Legacy Highway.
He said the President authorised an additional 400 kilometres, increasing the project’s total length from 700 kilometres to 1,100 kilometres. The highway, originally planned to connect Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Maiduguri in Borno State through Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu, will now extend into Taraba State.
“The greatest story is that yesterday President Bola Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy Road. That is an 800-kilometre road now extended to 1,100 kilometres, and that is unprecedented,” Umahi stated.
The minister also announced the approval of the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using reinforced concrete pavement, the completion of the long-abandoned Ibi Bridge in Taraba State, and the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lao Bridge.
Umahi noted that the projects are part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to strengthen road connectivity, boost economic activities, facilitate regional integration and modernise Nigeria’s critical transport infrastructure.
The approvals, he said, demonstrate the administration’s commitment to expanding the country’s road network while delivering legacy infrastructure capable of supporting long-term national development.
