The Nigerian government’s decision to exclude the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road from the 2025 budget proposal has raised eyebrows, sparking concerns about the project’s funding and future.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s signature project, estimated to cost around N16 trillion, was noticeably absent from the budget presented to the National Assembly.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, a 650-700 kilometer stretch, aims to improve national connectivity and facilitate transportation flexibility.
The project’s first phase, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in February last year, covers a 47.47-kilometer dual carriageway with a train track in the middle. The contract for this phase was awarded to High Tech Construction African Limited for N1.067 trillion.
However, the omission of the project from the 2025 budget has raised questions about its funding. The Federal Ministry of Works has a total capital allocation of N1,065,171,466,605 in the 2025 budget proposal, but the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road was not included.
BudgIT, a leading civic-tech organisation, has expressed concerns that funding for the project may necessitate reallocating funds from other critical projects, potentially hindering their implementation and impacting the budget’s credibility.
BudgIT has also criticised the government for failing to provide a breakdown of the budget for some ministries, departments, and agencies. The organization noted that in previous years, several budgetary insertions were made by the National Assembly that deviated from the federal government’s constitutional mandate and priorities.