The Federal Government has deployed 40 full-time Coastal Highway Guards to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from vandalism, hawking and other activities that could undermine the major infrastructure project.
Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, disclosed this during the launch of the guards in Lagos, according to a post by Jubril A. Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The guards will maintain a constant presence along the highway, monitor the corridor, report suspicious activities and incidents of vandalism, and restrict hawking, loitering and the use of commercial motorcycles and tricycles on the route.
The 40-member team was established specifically to provide dedicated monitoring and protection for the coastal highway and other government assets along the corridor.
The guards will work with security agencies in Lagos State to enhance surveillance and prevent activities that could damage the newly constructed infrastructure.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator @realdaveumahi today launched the COASTAL HIGHWAY GUARDS, starting with 40 officers,” Gawat said in the statement.
“This is not an empowerment programme. It is a full-time job to protect national assets of the government.”
The team is headed by retired General Adekunle Shodunke.
The deployment comes as construction and use of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway continue, with the government seeking to protect the infrastructure from vandalism, encroachment and activities that could compromise its operation.
The Federal Government recently renamed the highway after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following the completion of Section One of the project.
Umahi said the decision followed consultations within the Federal Ministry of Works and was disclosed during a media briefing at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on July 16, 2026.
The first section of the project, stretching from Victoria Island to Lekki in Lagos, covers 47.47 kilometres and comprises a six-lane carriageway with a 25-metre median reserved for a future railway line.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of Nigeria’s largest ongoing infrastructure projects, spanning more than 750 kilometres across several coastal states.
The overall project is estimated to cost about N15 trillion.
Section I in Lagos was procured for N1.068 trillion, while Section II was awarded at N1.6 trillion. Sections IIIA and IIIB were jointly procured for N1.33 trillion.
The project has also attracted external financing, including a $100 million allocation under a $266.7 million facility from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development.
A separate $100 million approval was made in July 2025 for the 47.7-kilometre Lagos section.
