VISION IS NOT FOR HUNGRY MINDED PEOPLE.
THE ECONOMIC REVOLUTION CALLED THE COASTAL HIGHWAY
Over the past few months, I have shared detailed insights on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway — a project that is not just a road, but the unfolding of an economic revolution before our very eyes.
Great leaders build legacies that outlive their time; unserious ones leave behind beer factories to keep their people distracted. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, through this visionary project, is scripting an enduring legacy of transformation and prosperity.
A World-Class Engineering Feat
No nation on Earth has ever attempted a continuous 800-kilometre coastal alignment hugging the Atlantic shoreline. Unlike California’s Highway 1 or Brazil’s BR-101, which frequently veer inland, Nigeria’s coastal highway stays remarkably close to the oceanfront — a bold statement of ambition and innovation.
This six-lane concrete expressway (3 lanes on each side) is engineered for high-speed freight and passenger movement, incorporating shoreline protection systems, bridges, flyovers, and space for a future rail corridor — an integrated transport and climate-resilient corridor unprecedented in Africa.
Building such a monumental project across mangroves, wetlands, and sandy shorelines demands some of the most sophisticated engineering ever deployed:
- Deep pile foundations
- Sea walls and revetments
- Salt-resistant reinforced concrete
This blend of marine and terrestrial construction over hundreds of kilometres is virtually unmatched worldwide.
An Economic Spine, Not Just a Road
The Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway is more than a transport project — it is an economic artery connecting seven coastal states, two major seaports (Lagos and Calabar), multiple free trade zones, oil and gas corridors, and emerging tourism hubs.
What President Tinubu is building is not just infrastructure — it is a coastal economic backbone comparable to China’s Beijing–Shanghai corridor, which redefined entire regional economies.
While the short-sighted opposition sees cost, visionary leaders see opportunity.
This is why states like Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa, and Rivers have embraced the project — they understand the multi-billion-dollar opportunities it carries. They see job creation, industrial growth, port expansion, and wealth distribution, not just asphalt and concrete.
For the Niger Delta, this project is a thousand times more significant than the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Project is to Northern Nigeria.
Tinubu’s Legacy of Development
President Tinubu has never been one to win hearts with empty rhetoric or endless lamentations about hunger. He wins by building institutions and infrastructure that empower people and create enduring wealth.
From the Lekki Free Trade Zone to Eko Atlantic City, from Lekki Town to multiple industrial corridors, his footprints in Lagos remain immortal.
Now, with the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Tinubu is extending that transformative vision to the Niger Delta and the entire southern corridor. Generations to come will etch his name upon the sands of time for this monumental coastal revolution.
A Global Model in the Making
When completed, this $13 billion project will not only reshape Nigeria’s economy but also stand as:
- Africa’s first continuous engineered coastal expressway.
- A global model for climate-resilient marine infrastructure.
- A transformative economic spine linking ports, cities, and energy corridors.
If President Tinubu successfully delivers this project by 2031, the world — not just Africa — will rise to give him a standing ovation as
he bows out, having redefined what leadership vision can achieve.
The Visionary’s Edge
As the saying goes, what the visionary sees while sitting, the blind critics cannot perceive even from the mountaintop.
Vision is not for the hungry-minded; it is for those who can see beyond today into the possibilities of tomorrow.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has seen the future — and through the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, he is building it.
Copied, but modified by Angel Mike.
