FG deploys 40 guards to protect Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from vandals

The Federal Government has employed 40 Coastal Highway Guards to tackle vandalism, hawking and other activities that could undermine the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

The Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, disclosed this during the launch of the guards, according to an X post by Jubril A. Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday.

The guards will maintain a presence along the highway, report suspicious activities, monitor and report vandalism, and restrict hawking, loitering, as well as the use of commercial tricycles and motorcycles on the route.

What they are saying

The 40 Coastal Highway Guards were launched to provide dedicated monitoring and protection for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, with the team expected to work alongside security agencies in Lagos State.

• “The Honorable Minister of Works, Senator @realdaveumahi today launched the COASTAL HIGHWAY GUARDS, starting with 40 officers,” the statement read in part.
• “This is not an empowerment programme. It is a full-time job to protect national assets of the government.”

The team is led by retired General Adekunle Shodunke and will work in conjunction with security agencies in the state.

Get up to speed

The Federal Government recently renamed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following the completion of Section One of the project.

• Umahi said the decision to rename the highway was taken by the Federal Ministry of Works after consultations with the ministry’s leadership and staff.
• The disclosure was made during a media briefing on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
• The first section of the 750-kilometre highway, stretching from Victoria Island to Lekki, is a 47.47-kilometre six-lane carriageway with a 25-metre median reserved for a future railway line.

The introduction of the guards is part of efforts to protect the infrastructure as construction and use of the coastal highway continue.

More insights

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of Nigeria’s major infrastructure projects, with construction spanning several coastal states and an estimated total cost of about N15 trillion.

• Section I in Lagos was procured at N1.068 trillion.
• Section II was procured at N1.6 trillion, while Sections IIIA and IIIB were jointly procured at N1.33 trillion.
• The project has attracted external financing, including a recent $100 million allocation under a $266.7 million ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development facility.
• A separate $100 million approval was made in July 2025 for a 47.7-kilometre Lagos section.

The guards are therefore expected to help protect a major public investment from activities that could damage or undermine the highway.

What you should know

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a federal project designed to connect Nigeria’s coastal states through a 750-plus kilometre highway network.

• Construction began in March 2024, while the first Lagos section was commissioned in May 2025.
• According to Umahi, work is currently ongoing across Lagos, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, with Hitech Construction Company Limited handling execution.
• The 40 guards will monitor vandalism, report suspicious activities, restrict hawking and loitering, and prevent commercial tricycles and motorcycles from using the coastal highway.

The guards are full-time employees tasked with protecting government infrastructure and are not part of an empowerment programme. The Federal Government expects the initiative to support the protection of the coastal highway.