Peter Ameh blasts Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road commissioning: “A costly spectacle for a fraction of progress”

Former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Peter Ameh, has condemned the recent commissioning of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, describing it as “a rushed celebration of an unfinished dream” and “a costly spectacle for a fraction of progress.”

In a strongly worded statement released in Abuja, Ameh criticized the federal government for what he described as a “misplaced display of grandeur” over the completion of just 30 kilometers of a 700-kilometer project. The ceremony, which drew President Bola Tinubu, governors, and a large entourage of aides, security personnel, and dignitaries, was, in Ameh’s view, more about optics than substance.

“The extravagant ceremony, marked by the President’s journey from Abuja to Lagos with a large entourage of aides, security personnel, DSS, and orderlies, is a glaring display of misplaced priorities and fiscal irresponsibility,” he stated.

Ameh lamented the billions of naira spent on the logistics, hotel accommodations, and ceremonial fanfare, calling it “an unjustifiable waste of public funds to celebrate just 4.3% of the project’s completion.” He questioned the rationale behind the celebration, asking pointedly,

“What exactly is being celebrated? The completion of a small fragment of an ambitious road, or an attempt to project progress where little exists?”

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road has been touted as a transformative infrastructure project meant to open up Nigeria’s coastal corridor. But Ameh argued that its implementation has been marred by poor planning, lack of transparency, and technical oversights. He pointed to comments made by Minister of Works David Umahi during an interview on Arise TV, in which Umahi acknowledged that major terrain challenges in the Ondo axis were only discovered after construction had commenced.

“The revelation… that these terrain challenges were only discovered after construction began, exposes a shocking lack of planning,” Ameh said. “The Ondo axis, considered one of the easier terrains compared to the more complex Niger Delta coastal line, should have been thoroughly surveyed before work commenced.”

Even more alarming, Ameh said, is the absence of a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a project of this scale.

“The failure to conduct feasibility studies, geotechnical surveys, or route optimization points to a reckless ‘build-now-think-later’ approach,” he warned, adding that the project risks becoming “yet another symbol of unfulfilled promises and squandered potential.”

He also expressed deep concern about the lack of public disclosure on the true cost of the project or clear evidence of budgetary approval by the National Assembly.

“Till date, no one can accurately state the true cost of the coastal highway project or provide evidence of an appropriation act,” he said. “This suggests the project may have been initiated as a convenient avenue for channeling public funds under the guise of a grand infrastructure scheme.”

Ameh painted a grim forecast if the current pace continues, noting that with only 30 kilometers completed in two years,

“It will take about 24 years for the remaining 670 kilometers to be completed.”

He ended the statement with a call for accountability, transparency, and rigorous planning in all public infrastructure projects, stressing that Nigerians “deserve better than governance that prioritizes optics over substance.”

“Rebuilding public confidence starts with treating projects of this scale with the seriousness they demand,” he said. “Only then can Nigeria deliver on its infrastructure dreams and provide the development its citizens deserve.”