By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
MOTORISTS AND other road users on the Lagos section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway have been issued a two-week ultimatum by the Federal Government for them to comply with safety measures or face closure.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olufemi Dare, gave the warning on Monday, September 21, 2026, during a press briefing on persistent safety and security challenges along the highway.
Dare said the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had directed the ministry to return and shut the road if there was no significant improvement within two weeks.
“In another two weeks, if there’s no improvement, the Works Minister has directed that we are coming back to shut down the road,” he said.
The warning followed concerns over overspeeding, illegal parking by trucks and articulated vehicles, illegal U-turns, the use of motorcycles and tricycles, roadside trading and other activities that could endanger road users or damage infrastructure.
Dare said the Lagos section comprises two sections measuring 47.474km and 56km, giving a total of about 103km within the state. He added that construction remained ongoing, particularly on the bridges, with 10 major bridges planned for each of the two sections.
“Ordinarily, we ought not to have opened it until all the bridges are completed,” he said.
The controller expressed concern that some motorists were driving at speeds of up to 120km/h in areas where construction activities were still taking place, despite a 30km/h speed limit displayed along the highway.
“We have said your speed on the coastal road must not be more than 30km/h. It is well written everywhere. But people will come here and go at 100km/h. This cannot continue,” Dare affirmed.
He said lives had already been lost on the highway and urged motorists to observe the prescribed speed limit.
“Lives are being lost on the coastal road. Almost every other day,” he said.
Dare disclosed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, had begun increased police deployment along the highway following meetings with Umahi.
He warned that trucks and articulated vehicles parked along the highway would be towed away, while illegal U-turns would be removed and offenders prosecuted.
Motorcycles and tricycles have also been banned from the coastal highway, with Dare disclosing that more than 100 Okada riders were arrested on the road the previous week.
JKNewsMedia.com also reports that the government further raised concerns about the vandalisation of safety infrastructure. Dare said about five kilometres of clear-view fencing had been removed, while concrete drainage covers spanning about 18km had been vandalised and taken away.
“For the clear-field fence, the report I got, we have not less than five kilometres of that that has been removed. And for Maruwa covers, we have not less than 18 kilometres of the covers that were packed away,” he said.
He said the perpetrators often operated at night despite police patrols and had also vandalised directional signs and other installations. The ministry, he added, was considering replacing clear-view fencing with block walls in areas where vandalism persisted.
“You install it today, in less than one week it’s gone. It means we have to change the strategy,” Dare said.
The controller also announced plans to remove illegal settlements, hawking and animal grazing along the highway. He said at least 10 illegal settlements had been identified for removal, while CCTV cameras were being considered to strengthen surveillance.
The government has also approved 40 coastal guards for the first section of the highway. Dare said members would be nominated by communities along the route and work with the police, with recruitment and deployment expected to be completed within two weeks.
Truck operators using the Gypsy Port area as a parking space also face enforcement action this week. Dare said the ministry had met with operators in the area and warned against turning the road into a permanent parking facility.
“We don’t want that place to be turned into another apartment. We are going there this week with the task force and flush all those trucks away,” he said.
Dare said the road itself was 100 per cent completed in the first section, although bridge construction remained ongoing. He added that the project was still within its three-year contract period and expressed confidence that the outstanding works would be completed within schedule.
He urged Lagos residents, motorists and other highway users to comply with the directives as enforcement intensifies.
“It’s not going to be business as usual,” he said.
In January, Umahi had noted that the FG might shut the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway if safety issues were not addressed. He said the death of a construction worker had occurred at Section One of the highway.
Umahi also disclosed that the ministry had considered closing the road in December but said President Bola Tinubu directed that it remain open to ease traffic flow.
“We were tempted to close the coastal highway in December, but the president directed that we should not,” Umahi said.
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