The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, on Sunday appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to support the construction of service lanes and drainage channels on Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
‘You have to bring money, Governor, to do the service lanes, and also to do the drainage channels. We must join hands to solve this problem for the sake of our people,’ Umahi said he said at a stakeholder engagement on the coastal highway and some other projects in the state.
The Minister, however, praised Lagos State Government for supporting Federal Government’s infrastructure development in the commercial city.
Umahi announced that the Federal Government would soon begin construction of the service lane for the coastal highway.
According to the Minister, the decision to construct service lanes and secondary drainage channels on Sections 1 and 2 of the highway projects was prompted by recent heavy rainfalls and flooding experienced in Lagos.
The Minister also said Lot 1 of the coastal highway had been completed and Lot 2, over 80 per cent done.
‘We have done over 30 per cent of the job in Calabar and Akwa Ibom. We have started the largest section, 180km by two,’ he said.
He gave the assurance that the highway project would be completed in time.
‘ We want everybody on this corridor, the entire Nigerians that are benefitting and will benefit from this coastal highway construction to continue to pray for and support the President.’
Umahi expressed dissatisfaction at the attitude of unpatriotic Nigerians vandalising national assets.
‘It is very disheartening. The effort they are putting to destroy national assets, if they put it in labour in all construction sites of state governments and the Federal Government, they will make more money.
‘It is devilish, wickedness and unacceptable; so, we have to come together to protect our national assets.
‘When these roads are built under the President, it will last for a hundred years but when the roads are excavated and removed, we will be back to square one,’ he said.