President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to treat public infrastructure as a shared national asset, emphasising that roads, bridges, and highways must be preserved and maintained through collective responsibility.
Tinubu has also warned property developers and landowners against building on federal infrastructure corridors without proper authorisation.
He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with his administration, adding that he knows that their expectations are very high.
The president emphasised the implication of such actions and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enforcing urban planning regulations.
This is just as the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio urged serving governors, particularly those nearing the end of their terms, to be intentional and patriotic in seeking a successor.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, Mr Dave Umahi has requested President Tinubu to direct Dangote and BUA cement companies to remit two percent of their sales to the Ministry as a reward for helping them to increase their sales.
President Tinubu spoke on Saturday at the official inauguration of Phase 1, Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway landmark project.
The highway, which covers 750 kilometres, and passes through Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states, was designed as a six-lane carriageway within a 60-meter corridor.
President Tinubu declared that the era of indiscriminate development and encroachment on public infrastructure is over.
He stressed that his government will not be disposed to paying compensation for buildings or developments that violate federal right-of-way regulations, saying “If you build illegally, you bear the consequences.”
The president urged developers, traditional leaders, and local authorities to respect existing urban development laws, noting that illegal construction not only threatens the integrity of national infrastructure but also endangers lives and undermines economic growth.
He further urged them as well as other local authorities to respect existing urban development laws, adding that illegal construction not only threatens the integrity of national infrastructure but also endangers lives and undermines economic growth.
Tinubu appealed to communities along the coastal highway corridor to guard the infrastructure from vandalism, illegal dumping, and unauthorised modifications.
“These projects belong to all of us. They are not political trophies; they are lifelines for future generations. Every citizen has a role to play in keeping them safe, clean, and functional.”
Shedding light on the early challenges his administration faced in initiating the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, the President recalled how critics dismissed the project as a venture that was not realisable.
“Many critics dismissed it as impossible, citing the unpredictable and destructive nature of the Atlantic Ocean along the Lekki-Epe-Victoria Island axis.
“We were told it couldn’t be done. Some said the Atlantic would devour us. But we stood firm. We rejected fear, and we embraced science, engineering, and courage.”
He said that through strategic coastal defences and the use of reinforced concrete pavement technology, his administration prevented what he described as a looming ecological disaster.
“A tsunami-like disaster would have washed away Ikoyi and Victoria Island. But today, we have not only tamed the ocean, we’ve turned a threat into a treasure.”
As the project inches toward completion, President Tinubu reiterated that every Nigerian, whether developer, engineer, community member, or public servant, has a stake in its success.
He said: “Let us build, not destroy. Let us protect, not abuse. And let us always remember: Progress is not handed to us; we must shape it together.”
The president appealed to Nigerians to be patient with his administration.
He said, “I know at this stage, your expectation is still very high and our people are still going through difficult times. I take this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians that the hope is here and it is realisable.
“You would be proud of the benefits, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Inflation is coming down, the corruption in the exchange rate is eliminated, the corruption in fuel subsidy is limited to the barest minimum.
“It is all for you the people, we are reducing the cost of manufacturing, and encouraging manufacturing locally. We give all incentives for everyone to abide by the principle. May God bless our country; may God bless Lagos State and keep our fighting soldiers safe,” Tinubu
He also virtually inaugurated and flagged off several road projects across the six geo-political zones.
The projects inaugurated by President Tinubu in the South-south region are the rehabilitation of Calabar-Ugep-Katsina-Ala Road, Section II (Ugep-Katsina-Ala) in Benue/Cross River States; dualisation of East-West Road Section II (Sub Section I) Eleme Junction in Port Harcourt – Ahoada in Rivers State; rehabilitation of Alesi-Ugep(Iyamoyung-Ugep) Section in Cross River State. Upgrading of 15km Section of the East-West Road, Port Harcourt (Eleme Junction)-Onne Port Junction in Rivers State.
President Tinubu inaugurated the rehabilitated Enugu-Port Harcourt Road Section III, Enugu-Lokpanta, in the South-east Zone, a new bridge at Akpoha in Ebonyi State to replace the near-collapsed bridge; reconstruction of the collapsed Enugu Bridge at New Artisan Market Enugu-Port Harcourt Road in Enugu State.
Other inaugurated projects in the South-west Zone are: Rehabilitation, Construction & Expansion of Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Dual Carriageway Section II in Oyo State; rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu Road in Lagos State; emergency comprehensive repair of the Eko Bridge (4.1km) in Lagos State (from Alaka, Surulere-Apongbon including all Ramps); the construction of Deep-Sea Port Access Road in Lagos State through Epe to Shagamu – Benin Expressway in Lagos and Ogun states.
In the North-central Zone, President Tinubu inaugurated the construction of the Shendam Bridge in Plateau State and the Ilobu-Enrile road in Kwara and Osun States.
In the North-east Zone, he inaugurated the Jimeta Bridge in Yola, Adamawa State, while in the North West Zone, he inaugurated the reconstructed Yakasai Badume-Damargu-Marken Zalli Roads in Kano State and the reconstruction of Kano-Kwanar Danja Hadeja Section II: Kano-Tsalle in Kano and Jigawa State.
President Tinubu flagged off the following new projects: Ibadan-Ife-Ilesha-Akure-Benin Road in Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Edo states; construction of Nembe-Brass Road; construction of a section of Enugu-Onitsha Carriageway (total length of 107km); and rehabilitation of Zaria-Hunkuyi-Kufur-Gidan Mutum Daya Road in Kaduna/Kano States.
Also, the president flagged off the dualisation of Kano-Maiduguri Road, linking Kano-Jigawa-Bauchi-Yobe and Borno states (Section I: Kano-Wudil-Shuarin), which has a total length of 105km; the construction of Kano Northern Bypass Road in Kano State; and the construction of Maiduguri Bypass Road.
Also speaking at the Lagos occasion, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio urged serving governors, particularly those nearing the end of their terms, to be intentional and patriotic in seeking a successor.
Akpabio commended the president’s vision and execution, describing him as a leader blessed with both “sight and vision.”
He said: “Mr. President, I can confirm once again that with this commissioning today, you have proven that whenever the National Assembly says you are doing well, we are always right”.
While advising serving state governors, particularly those in their second and final terms, Akpabio cautioned: “Do not hand over power to anyone who is not looking for it. Do not hand over power to someone who is not prepared. Governance is too important to be left in the hands of cronies or loyalists who lack capacity.”
He particularly warned the governors against choosing successors based on superficial loyalty or subservience.
Speaking earlier, Works Minister, Senator Umahi, praised President Tinubu for what he’s doing across the country, and for insisting that Nigerian youth should be made to learn the new technology, saying that after God, his loyalty would be to the President.
According to him, the real thing is the reinforced concrete pavement, which, according to him, can last between 50 and 100 years.
Umahi also requested President Tinubu to direct Dangote and BUA cement companies to remit two per cent of their sales to the Ministry as a reward for helping them increase their sales.
Umahi also disclosed that N18 billion has so far been paid as compensation for section one of the project.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Chagoury brothers, and contractors witnessed the event.
Industry captains, including Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, attended the inauguration ceremony.
Deji Elumoye
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