A community group in Ondo State, Ilaje Omuro Community Connect (IOCC), has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies over the reported realignment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway away from the Ilaje coastline.
The group described the change as an economic and geographical injustice against Ilaje communities. It demanded an independent engineering assessment, a comparative cost audit and the publication of key project documents.
In a statement signed by its counsel, Babatunde Omobone, IOCC said it speaks for more than 1,000 indigenes of Ilaje Local Government Area. It urged the Federal Government to give a transparent explanation for the change.
The project
The 750-kilometre highway, flagged off in March 2024, is one of the major infrastructure projects of the Tinubu administration. It is designed to run from Victoria Island, Lagos, through Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states to Calabar, Cross River State.
The Federal Government says the project will expand coastal trade, tourism and logistics. Planned features include six lanes, concrete pavement, solar lighting and train tracks.
Dispute over the Ondo route
The controversy followed reports that the Federal Ministry of Works had moved the highway from the Ilaje coastline to an inland corridor.
IOCC and other stakeholders from Ilaje and Itsekiri communities say the original survey and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) had the road entering Ondo from Ogun at Olosunmeta. It would then pass through Araromi, Abetobo, Abe-Oroyo, Ogogoro, Ayetoro, Awoye, Molutehin, Ugbonla, Ilowo, Ilepete, Obe-Enikanoselu, Obe-Rewoye, Ikorigho, Jinrinwo and Igbo-Egunrin, before reaching the Igbokoda waterfront and linking Ode-Ugborodo and Escravos in Delta State. The group put that stretch at about 60 to 110 kilometres.
It alleged that the road was instead diverted from Oke-Upare inland through Ovia North and Ovia West in Edo State to Gelegele, said to be 10 to 20 kilometres from the sea, before connecting to Warri in Delta State. According to IOCC, this alternative would run between 130 and 190 kilometres and cross swampy terrain that requires extensive bridge construction.
Umahi’s defence
The group challenged the engineering justification offered by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.
Speaking at a briefing in Abuja last Wednesday, Umahi defended the decision as based on sound engineering considerations. “We have no regret for decisions taken at Ondo. For us, it is their right to write a petition; it is my right to take the right decision,” he said.
He explained that parts of the original route contain pits more than 100 metres deep, with no sharp sand within 300 metres. This, he said, would make construction difficult and costlier because of the filling and ground stabilisation required.
IOCC disputed the cost argument. It estimated that building along the original coastal route would cost between N4 billion and N7.5 billion per kilometre, against N7.5 billion to N12 billion per kilometre for the inland alignment.
The group pointed to earlier road projects in similar terrain to counter the claim that the Ilaje corridor is unsuitable. These include the Igbokoda-Ugbonla road, built by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), and a Ugbonla-Awoye road contract reportedly awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2010.
“If roads can be constructed within the Ilaje coastal environment, what specific engineering, geological, environmental or financial considerations make the proposed coastal highway route impracticable?” the group asked.
It urged the Ministry of Works to publish the feasibility studies, geotechnical and soil investigations, EIA reports and comparative cost-benefit analyses for both routes. It also called for an independent assessment by qualified engineers, arguing that advances in bridge construction, coastal protection and tunnelling should be weighed before the coastal corridor is ruled out.
Economic concerns
IOCC said the realignment carries serious economic and social implications for coastal communities.
The group said Ilaje has Nigeria’s longest coastline, estimated at 80 to 100 kilometres, and contributes more than 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Yet it still faces sea incursion, coastal erosion, poor road access and limited economic opportunities.
It named Abereke, Orioke, Magbehinwa, Idiogba, Mese, Ayetoro and Awoye-Odofado among the communities that could be affected.
According to the organisation, excluding the coastal axis could limit opportunities in fisheries, agriculture, tourism, trade and logistics. It could also discourage investment and further isolate communities whose ancestral homes, fishing grounds and livelihoods are already under threat.
The petition follows a joint resolution by Ilaje and Itsekiri leaders in Lagos on September 19, 2026. The two groups reportedly agreed to work together to keep the highway on its original coastal route and threatened legal action over the alleged diversion.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and the pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere have also criticised the realignment, arguing that moving a coastal highway inland could defeat its purpose.
Appeal to Tinubu, NASS, EFCC
IOCC urged President Tinubu to intervene and the National Assembly to use its oversight powers. It also asked the Ministry of Works to give a full public explanation backed by verifiable data.
The group further asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to examine any credible evidence of financial misconduct, abuse of office or improper influence linked to the route change.
“This is a call for accountability, not a declaration of guilt. Any allegation of wrongdoing should be investigated fairly, and any findings should be based on verifiable evidence,” it said.
IOCC also demanded meaningful consultations with affected communities, traditional institutions and civil society before a final decision on the alignment.
It stressed that the campaign is not aimed at any individual or state, but at ensuring fairness in the delivery of a major national project.
“The Ilaje people are Nigerians. Ondo State is an integral part of the Nigerian federation. The coastal communities of Ilaje deserve to be considered fairly in decisions concerning a major national coastal highway,” the group said.
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