‘From Where to Where?’ Makinde Questions FG’s Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Project

Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has questioned the Federal Government’s spending priorities, asking how major infrastructure projects and energy initiatives would translate into tangible benefits for Nigerians.

Makinde spoke on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the APM Presidential Campaign Organisation’s South-South Town Hall Meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he criticised the government’s focus on large-scale projects amid rising living costs.

“They want to do a superhighway from where to where? They want to do mega this and mega that,” Makinde said, questioning the rationale behind what he described as the government’s preference for mega-projects.

He also questioned the impact of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and the Naira-for-Crude policy, asking whether the programmes had reduced transportation costs for millions of Nigerians.

“There’s a Presidential Initiative on CNG—it came to nothing. ‘Naira for Crude’ came to nothing. Has it translated to lower costs of transportation for millions of Nigerians?” he asked.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of President Bola Tinubu’s flagship infrastructure projects. The proposed route is intended to connect Lagos with coastal communities across several southern states, extending towards Calabar in Cross River State. The project has attracted public debate over its cost, contract award, route adjustments and expected economic benefits.

Makinde’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of the highway following plans to realign part of its route through the existing East-West Road. The Federal Government has defended the adjustment, with Works Minister David Umahi saying the coastal highway remains in progress and that additional work on the East-West Road is intended to address flooding and difficult terrain.

His comments add to the debate over whether major government infrastructure and energy programmes are delivering measurable relief to citizens, particularly in transportation costs and the wider cost of living.