Umahi says 50-year-old refuse dump stalled Lagos-Calabar coastal highway

Dave Umahi, minister of works, says a refuse dump more than 50 years old and over 10 metres deep delayed work on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway for four months.

Umahi spoke in Lagos on Monday during an inspection of the project.

“We also encountered a refuse dump that had been over 50 years old and had over 10 metres depth and spanned two kilometres,” Umahi said.
“When we encountered it, we had to stop the work for more than four months.”

Landmark Beach spared after route redesign

The minister said the project initially faced hurdles at kilometre zero, where Landmark Beach and other properties stood in the highway’s path.

“We decided as a responsible ministry to vary the design of the project,” Umahi said, explaining that the road alignment was altered to avoid demolishing the beach infrastructure.

He stressed that, contrary to public perception, Landmark Beach was not demolished—only the surrounding shanties were cleared. The six-lane highway was instead split into three lanes on each side to protect the beach.

N15 billion spent on ‘unexpected challenges’

Umahi disclosed that the federal government spent about N15 billion to tackle the unforeseen obstacles.

“I have directed that all the videos and drawings must be exposed because additional works are involved, and I want those documentaries to be intact,” he added.

Dany Abboud, managing director of Hitech Construction Company Ltd., the contractor, said the eastbound and westbound lanes were split at kilometre 2.7 to avoid demolitions and later rejoined at kilometre 5.

He added that extensive waste deposits were found between kilometres 3 and 9, with the largest dumpsites at kilometres 4 and 9.

“We had to excavate to a very big depth and replace it with sand,” Abboud said.