Umahi Decries Vandalism of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to protect public infrastructure and desist from vandalising projects, following reports of individuals allegedly removing construction materials from the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Works on Media, Francis Nwaze, made the appeal in a statement on Thursday, August 13, 2026, describing the reported vandalism as an attack on a major national investment.

According to Nwaze, pictures emerging from the newly constructed coastal highway showed individuals allegedly caught vandalising and carting away materials used for the project.

“This is not just an attack on a road. It is an attack on a national investment and, ultimately, on the Nigerian people,” he said.

The incident came days after the Minister of Works, David Umahi, inaugurated the Coastal Highway Guards in Lagos to strengthen the protection of the multi-billion-naira project and other critical infrastructure along the route.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway is one of the Federal Government’s major infrastructure projects under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The government says the project is intended to improve connectivity, stimulate economic activity, open up communities and facilitate the movement of people and goods along the coastline.

Nwaze stressed that protecting public infrastructure should not be left solely to government and security agencies.

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“When someone removes construction materials from a public project, the damage does not end with the contractor or the Ministry of Works. The loss is borne by all of us,” he said.

He warned that vandalism could delay construction, increase project costs, create safety risks and deprive communities of the benefits of completed infrastructure.

Nwaze urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities around public projects and support efforts to safeguard infrastructure in their communities.

“Public infrastructure is public property,” he said.

He added, “Government must build. Contractors must deliver. Security agencies must protect. And citizens must take responsibility.”

Nwaze said the coastal highway ultimately belonged to Nigerians and urged citizens not to destroy infrastructure intended for their benefit.

“Because, at the end of the day, we are the ones who will use these roads. We are the ones who will benefit from them. And we must not be the ones destroying them,” he said.