Coastal Communities Outraged: Leaders Veto Lagos-Calabar Highway Rerouting

Leaders of thought from the Ilaje communities in Ondo State and Itsekiri communities in Delta State have formally agreed to collaborate in opposing the alleged rerouting of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. This significant resolution was achieved at a joint meeting of representatives from both ethnic nationalities, held in Lagos on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The agreement was officially signed by Barrister Austin Nonen Oboroegbeyi and Comrade Amaechi Omagbitse representing the Itsekiri ethnic nationality, and Dr Benson Enikuomehin, FCPA, and Dr Adeolu Austin Efotan on behalf of the Ilaje ethnic nationality.

The stakeholders emphatically called for the Itsekiri Nation to issue a clear statement rejecting what they described as the alteration of the highway's original coastal alignment by the Federal Ministry of Works, under the supervision of Minister Senator David Umahi. They adamantly insisted that the highway must maintain its coastal character, traversing through the coastal communities of Ondo and Delta states before extending into other parts of the Niger Delta. This united stance further intensifies the growing opposition from various stakeholders in Ondo State regarding the project's revised alignment.

Earlier, lawyers and community stakeholders had raised concerns, accusing the Federal Ministry of Works of bypassing several Ilaje coastal communities and diverting the route inland, through parts of Edo State. Minister Umahi had attributed this revised alignment to engineering investigations that purportedly revealed challenging soil conditions, including deep layers of peat. However, the latest resolution from the Ilaje and Itsekiri stakeholders directly refutes the ministry's explanation, dismissing the stated reasons for the rerouting as false.

The groups presented compelling arguments, asserting that construction along the original coastal corridor, encompassing Ilaje communities in Ondo and the Itsekiri axis in Delta, would cost between N4 billion and N7.5 billion per kilometre. This contrasts sharply with their estimated cost for the alternative inland route, which they claim would range between N7.5 billion and N12 billion per kilometre. Furthermore, they challenged the projected distances of the two alignments. According to their assessment, the stretch from Olosunmeta to the Itsekiri axis in Delta State is approximately 100 to 110 kilometres, whereas the proposed alternative inland route would span a significantly longer distance of 170 to 190 kilometres. They argued that this extended inland route would inevitably increase both the overall length and the total cost of the project.

The stakeholders further maintained that the alternative route presents difficult terrain and would necessitate the construction of numerous bridges. In contrast, they argued that the coastal alignment offers a more direct corridor, passing through key communities such as Olosunmeta, Araromi, Abe-Oroyo, Ogogoro, Ugbonla, Apata, Awoye, Ugbege, Oghoye, Orere, Agogboro, and Ode-Ugborodo. The controversy surrounding the Ondo alignment has escalated in recent weeks, with community representatives highlighting the exclusion of several coastal settlements from the project. A stakeholders' briefing on September 10 similarly listed communities including Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo, and Awoye as areas they believe have been bypassed.

At the Lagos meeting, the Ilaje and Itsekiri groups solidified their strategy by resolving to establish a tactical committee. This committee, comprising representatives from both nations, is mandated to engage with the Federal Government and other relevant authorities. Its primary objective is to secure what stakeholders describe as the