RismadarVoice Reporters
September 11, 2026
A group of lawyers and stakeholders from coastal communities in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State has called on the Federal Government to restore the original coastal alignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The group alleged that the current route of the project had deviated from the planned coastal path and bypassed several communities in Ondo State while extending inland through parts of Edo State.
Speaking during a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, an Attorney-at-Law, Dr Benson Enikuomehin, who represented the group, urged the Federal Ministry of Works to return the project to what he described as its original coastal design.
The demand followed earlier concerns raised by socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, over the alleged exclusion of some Ondo coastal communities from the highway project.
Responding to the concerns, Minister of Works David Umahi had stated that the government’s preference was to construct the highway along the coastline, but engineering considerations could influence the final alignment.
Enikuomehin, however, alleged that the Ondo section of the highway had been significantly altered, claiming that more than 60 per cent of Ilaje coastal communities had been excluded from the project.
He said the highway, which passed close to the coastline in Lagos and Ogun states, had allegedly become an inland route in Ondo State, extending through Oke-Upare and linking communities in Ovia North and Ovia West Local Government Areas of Edo State.
According to him, the project was conceived as a coastal highway and should pass through shoreline communities before connecting other coastal states to Calabar.
He listed communities allegedly affected by the route adjustment to include Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo, Awoye and Igho.
The lawyer claimed that the highway’s original plan was altered after an additional 100 kilometres was added to the project to accommodate an inland route through Edo State.
He argued that the diversion defeated the purpose of a coastal highway, insisting that states without coastal boundaries should not replace shoreline communities in the project’s alignment.
Enikuomehin also disputed claims that constructing the road through Ilaje communities would be more expensive due to the difficult terrain.
He claimed that the coastal route from Ugbonla in Ondo State to Escravos in Delta State would cover about 60 to 75 kilometres, while the alternative inland route through Edo State would extend between 130 and 150 kilometres.
He further estimated that the coastal route would cost between ₦240bn and ₦450bn, compared with an estimated ₦970bn to ₦1.5tn for the inland alternative.
The lawyer cited the Ugbo-Oghoye Road project as evidence that infrastructure could be successfully developed in the coastal terrain of Ilaje communities.
He said the group was not opposed to Edo State benefiting from national projects but insisted that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway must retain its coastal character through Ondo State.
Enikuomehin appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and review the highway’s alignment, alleging that the current route amounted to discrimination against the Ilaje people.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has faced public debate since construction began, with concerns previously raised over environmental impact, project approvals and the effect of construction activities on affected communities.
