The Federal Government of Nigeria says the first completed portion of the Lagos–Calabar Highway will open to traffic in December 2025, marking the project’s earliest operational milestone since construction began under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Okay News reports that David Umahi, Nigeria’s Minister of Works, made the announcement during an inspection of the Lagos–Calabar Highway on Sunday, stating that the 47-kilometre stretch between channel 0 and channel 47 would be ready for public use between December 12 and 17.
Umahi said both the Federal Government and the contractors were working under strict timelines to ensure the first section of the Lagos–Calabar Highway, a 750-kilometre coastal route connecting nine southern states, becomes motorable ahead of schedule.
He noted that construction targets also extend into 2026, with plans to complete Section 1 and half of Section 2 of the Lagos–Calabar Highway by April 2026, excluding bridges contracted under a separate agreement. According to him, the presidential directive emphasises accelerated delivery without compromising quality or access.
The minister also addressed a recent legal dispute involving Stella Okengwu, Chief Executive Officer of Winhomes Global Services Limited, who had alleged that the route of the Lagos–Calabar Highway was illegally diverted into her company’s investment site in Okun Ajah, Lagos. Umahi said a fresh ruling of the Federal High Court of Nigeria dismissed her claims for lacking merit.
He explained that documents submitted by Okengwu in court contradicted her public allegations, revealing that Winhomes had already sold the land in question to third parties. The court held that the company lacked the legal standing to sue over the Lagos–Calabar Highway, noting that no proprietary interest remained.
Umahi criticised Okengwu for repeatedly issuing “false and misleading claims” targeted at discouraging foreign investment in Nigeria’s infrastructure sector. He said the judgment had “exposed her assertions as unfounded,” reaffirming the government’s commitment to transparent project execution along the Lagos–Calabar Highway.
The minister urged the public to disregard online commentary portraying the Lagos–Calabar Highway as improperly located or politically motivated. He said the coastal corridor remains a strategic national asset expected to boost mobility, tourism and trade across West Africa’s Atlantic coastline.
With the December opening date approaching, the progress on the Lagos–Calabar Highway highlights the administration’s broader push to modernise federal transport infrastructure and strengthen economic integration across Nigeria’s southern regions.
