The Federal Government has announced a realignment of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway to preserve critical telecommunications infrastructure and submarine cables. This decision was revealed by Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, during the third stakeholders meeting on the coastal highway project held in Lagos on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
Umahi explained that the federal government is discarding the proposed new route for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway between kilometers 16 to 25 and reverting to the gazetted alignment. This change aims to protect the telecommunications infrastructure, including submarine cables, in the area.
“We have three critical infrastructures located in one spot. One is the 2Africa submarine cable that spans 33 countries and connects about three billion people. This cable landed at Mopo, where the West African Cable System (WACS) had been located about 17 years ago,” Umahi stated.
Additionally, he highlighted the presence of a mega Independent Power Plant (IPP) designed to provide power to both the 2Africa and WACS cables. This 50-megawatt power plant is essential for supporting these infrastructures.
“The new corridor passes right over the submarine cable, with the other side near the IPP. Submarine cables require power to function. If these critical infrastructures are compromised, it would have widespread effects,” Umahi emphasized.
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to officially commence the construction of the road on Sunday, May 26. Umahi noted that the government has fully redesigned the first section of the highway, which is 47 kilometers long, ensuring that the alignment is managed with a human-centric approach.
“We have taken hard decisions, but we are confident that our choices are not harmful. The design of the road is concluded, and we are particularly concerned about some houses in the Goshen Estate,” Umahi added.
This decision reflects the government’s commitment to balancing infrastructure development with the protection of critical national security assets.
