President Bola Tinubu on Saturday warned property developers and landowners against building on federal infrastructure corridors, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enforcing urban planning regulations.
By Salif Atojoko
President Bola Tinubu on Saturday warned property developers and landowners against building on federal infrastructure corridors, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enforcing urban planning regulations.
The President spoke at the inauguration of Phase 1, Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The 750km project, which passes through Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states respectively, is designed as a six-lane carriageway within a 60-meter corridor.
President Tinubu stressed that the era of indiscriminate development and encroachment on public infrastructure was over.
According to Tinubu, the administration will not be disposed to paying compensation for buildings or developments that violate federal right-of-way regulations, saying “if you build illegally, you bear the consequences.”
He urged developers, traditional leaders, and local authorities to respect existing urban development laws, noting that illegal construction not only threatens the integrity of national infrastructure but also endangers lives and undermines economic growth.
Tinubu also called on Nigerians to treat public infrastructure as a shared national asset, emphasising that roads, bridges, and highways must be preserved and maintained through collective responsibility.
“These projects belong to all of us. They are not political trophies, they are lifelines for future generations. Every citizen has a role to play in keeping them safe, clean, and functional,” Tinubu stated.
He appealed to communities along the coastal highway corridor to guard the infrastructure from vandalism, illegal dumping, and unauthorised modifications.
He also emphasised the importance of government collaboration with professional bodies, civil society, and local councils to enforce maintenance culture across the country.
Reflecting on the early challenges his administration faced in initiating the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, he recalled how critics dismissed the project as a venture that was not realisable.
He said, “many critics dismissed it as impossible, citing the unpredictable and destructive nature of the Atlantic Ocean along the Lekki-Epe-Victoria Island axis.
“We were told it couldn’t be done. Some said the Atlantic would devour us. But we stood firm. We rejected fear, and we embraced science, engineering, and courage.”