Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has announced that toll collection will begin on part of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway starting in December 2025.

He shared this information during an interview recorded for a documentary that will celebrate President Bola Tinubu’s second year in office.

Umahi said the government plans to start tolling Section 1 of the highway and expects to recover the money spent on the project within 10 years.

He explained that the road includes solar-powered lights and CCTV cameras to improve safety. The project will also help reduce carbon emissions. According to him, the highway is not just a road but an important route that will support business and development in the region.

So far, 30 kilometres of Section 1 have been completed, and 10 kilometres in Section 2 are nearly finished. Both parts are built with six-lane concrete roads that meet modern standards for safety and durability.

Work has also started on Sections 3 and 3B, which cover 65 kilometres in total—38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom. Umahi said that people in the surrounding communities are happy with the project, showing its positive impact on their lives and local economies.

He added that the recent groundbreaking for these sections was met with excitement, proving how much the road means to the communities involved.

Umahi also mentioned a renewed focus on the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway. He said the idea for this road goes back to trade plans made during colonial times.

He explained that President Tinubu is working to bring back these old trade route plans, like the Trans-Saharan trade path, to help improve the country’s transport system and economic growth.