“You’d be ashamed of yourselves”: Onanuga blasts critics of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

By Paul Dada

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga says those who have condemned the Lagos-Calabar Highway currently being constructed will be ashamed of themselves when it is completed.

Onanuga implied that the highway, a flagship infrastructure project of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, is already transforming commuting in Lagos.

In a post shared on Facebook, Onanuga described his recent experience traveling from Ajah to Isaac John Street in Ikeja, a journey that typically takes upwards of two hours during peak periods.

He said though construction is ongoing, the stretch from Ogombo to Ahmadu Bello Way has “greatly blessed users, slashing commuting time by more than 50 per cent.”

Onanuga wrote: “The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of President Bola Tinubu’s best gifts to Nigeria. Those who have condemned this historic project will be ashamed of themselves when the Tinubu administration completes the road. Though construction is ongoing, the stretch from Ogombo to Ahmadu Bello Way has greatly blessed users, slashing commuting time by more than 50 per cent.

“On Friday morning, when I set out from Ajah to Isaac John in Ikeja, Google Maps first indicated the journey would last two and a half hours. But in a flash, it showed me an alternative route that will last just 70 minutes. I took the option and found myself on the Coastal Road. In less than 25 minutes, we arrived at the Ahmadu Bello end of the road. Except for the traffic snarl at the MRS fuel station caused by motorists queuing for Dangote petrol, the journey to Ikeja was smooth sailing.

“We arrived in Ikeja in a record 65 minutes on a usually traffic-busy Friday. Blessed be the visioner and dreamer, and blessed be the contractors for the quality work on the road.”

The 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway  could be described as among the most ambitious infrastructure projects undertaken in Nigeria in recent years. When completed, it is expected to link Lagos with coastal cities in nine states, enhancing connectivity, boosting commerce, and easing congestion in key urban areas.