Reps Demand Review of Lagos-Calabar Highway Realignment, Seek EIA, Coastal Access

The House of Representatives has called for a review of the proposed realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, demanding the release of its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and measures to ensure that affected coastal communities are not cut off from the project.

The lawmakers made the demands following amendments to a motion sponsored by Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi, which raised concerns that the proposed realignment could undermine the highway’s original coastal connectivity and economic development objectives.

In his amendment, Ademorin Kuye urged the Federal Ministry of Works to review the proposed realignment and construct reinforced coastal feeder roads to reconnect maritime and fishing communities that may be isolated where the main dual carriageway detours inland because of deep water pits and unstable terrain.

Kuye also called on the ministry to invite the relevant project proponents to explain the reasons for the realignment and develop alternative access routes that would minimise displacement.

 He further urged the House to include a clear implementation timeline for the proposed measures.

Similarly, Mark Esset called for the Ministry of Works to submit the highway’s Environmental Impact Assessment to the House through the relevant committee, arguing that the document would help identify potential environmental challenges and the measures required to address them.

Esset said a proper environmental assessment before construction could help prevent the problems currently associated with the project.

Contributing to the debate, Rivers State lawmaker Inombek Abiante questioned the justification for the proposed realignment, warning that it could deny coastal communities access to the benefits of a major federal infrastructure project.

Abiante called for the professor proposing the realignment to appear before the House and explain the technical reasons behind the decision.

 He also urged lawmakers to engage the Minister of Works to obtain clear answers about the proposed changes.

He stressed that communities along the Atlantic coast deserved to understand how the project would affect them, adding that the decision should not be left to a few individuals without broader legislative involvement.

Abiante further lamented the long-standing infrastructure challenges facing coastal communities, citing the decades it took for a road to reach Bonny, despite the area’s historic role in Nigeria’s oil industry.

The debate centred on concerns that the highway’s proposed inland detours could weaken its intended role in connecting coastal settlements, improving access to strategic oil and gas facilities, and stimulating economic activities across the region.

The lawmakers’ interventions called for greater transparency, independent scrutiny and meaningful consideration of affected communities before decisions on the highway’s realignment are finalised.