Ondo Lawyers Cry Foul As Umahi Ditches Coastal Communities For Edo State In Staggering ₦1.5 Trillion Highway Detour

LAGOS, Nigeria — A fiery confrontation is brewing over the multi-trillion Naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, as a committee of prominent lawyers and stakeholders from Ondo State accused the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, of committing a “monumental heinous crime” against the coastal communities of the state.

At a heavily attended press conference in Lagos today, the legal body—led by APC chieftain Dr. Benson Enikuomehin—alleged that the Ministry of Works has completely abandoned the original mapping of the mega-highway. They claim the route has been intentionally and deliberately doctored to bypass Ondo’s oil-rich coastal settlements in order to favor Edo State, a territory they point out has no Atlantic coastline.

A Costly Detour

Reading from a strongly worded address, Dr. Enikuomehin revealed a massive financial and structural disparity caused by the new alignment. According to the committee, constructing the highway along the original Ondo coastline would cost between ₦4 billion and ₦7 billion per kilometre, bringing the total state sector expense to an estimated ₦240 billion to ₦450 billion.

In stark contrast, they claimed the new detour inland toward Edo State requires an astronomical ₦7.5 billion to ₦12 billion per kilometre. This change adds an extra 100 kilometres to the project’s original 700-kilometre blueprint, driving the cost of the detour up to a staggering ₦970 billion to ₦1.5 trillion.

“What is more, while the alignment on Ugbonla in Ondo to Escravos in Delta is straightforward and aligns with the concepts of a Coastal Highway, the detour to Edo state is volatile,” Enikuomehin argued.

He warned that the new path erodes the immediate shoreline and renders the very concept of a “coastline highway” a mirage.

Communities Erased from the Map

The lawyers argued that the orchestrated marginalization completely erases historical, frontline Ilaje communities from the economic benefits of the road. Notable shoreline towns completely taken off the route include:

Ugbonla

Ilowo

Ilepete

Obe-Enikanoselu

Obe-Rewoye

Ikorigho

Jinrinwo

Awoye

Igho

Enikuomehin noted that non-coastal states like Abia and Imo were rightfully excluded from the coastal design, making the ministry’s insistence on dragging the highway through Edo State legally and geographically unjustifiable.

A Plea for Political Intervention

The committee stated that Minister Umahi has remained entirely adamant, ignoring formal protest letters from the Secretary-General of Afenifere Worldwide, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, as well as passionate pleas from Ilaje traditional rulers.

With legal battles looming, the committee made a direct public appeal to prominent Ondo State indigenes in high offices to break their silence and defend their people. They explicitly called upon Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Minister of Interior Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Youth Ayodele Olawande, and Senator representing Ondo South, Prof. Adedayo Faduyile, to urgently prevail on the Federal Government to revert to the original coastal blueprint.