Officials from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Federal Ministry of Works, and the Nigeria Police Force on Friday conducted a joint inspection of an 18-kilometre stretch of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, amid growing concerns over vandalism and other criminal activities threatening the multi-billion-naira project.
The 750-kilometre superhighway, which runs from Victoria Island in Lagos to Calabar in Cross River State, has been classified as one of Nigeria’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI), underscoring the need for robust security measures along its corridor.
The inspection team, led by the Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adedotun Keshinro, alongside the Federal Controller of Works for Lagos State, Engr. Olufemi Dare, and the officer in charge of the Coastal Road for the Nigeria Police Force, toured the section of road stretching from Okun-Ajah to Oniru, near Rain Oil.
Speaking during the inspection, Engr. Dare said the Federal Government remained firm on safeguarding the project.
“The directive of the Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, to protect the integrity and sanctity of this road remains sacrosanct,” Dare said, as he walked the team through ongoing construction works including flyovers, interchanges, and deep-piling bridge infrastructure.
For his part, Commandant Keshinro reaffirmed the NSCDC’s commitment to protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure and called for a coordinated response involving multiple stakeholders.
“We are unflinchingly committed to Critical National Assets and Infrastructure Protection in Lagos State,” Keshinro said.
He urged that “relevant security agencies and community stakeholders” be brought on board “to eradicate the menace of vandals and other criminal elements on the road head-on.”
According to the NSCDC, criminal activities plaguing the highway include vandalism, theft of manholes and iron rods, destruction of fencing, stripping of construction materials, and illegal traffic operations particularly unauthorised U-turns created by motorists along the highway.
The joint inspection forms part of continuing efforts by security and works officials to safeguard the coastal highway as construction progresses.
