Legal Action to Enforce Compliance in the Award and Execution of the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway Project

In the past few months, we have consistently highlighted violations of existing laws in the award and execution of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project to the relevant government agencies, urging rectification. Unfortunately, these appeals have been ignored.

As a result, I have instructed my lawyers to serve legal pre-action notices to:

1. The Bureau of Public Procurement
2. The Environmental Protection Agency
3. The Attorney-General of the Federation

If these violations are not addressed within the statutory period of 30 days, legal action will be taken to compel the Federal Government to ensure compliance with:

• The Public Procurement Act
• The Environmental Impact Assessment Act

The Coastal Road project, estimated at over 15 trillion naira, was awarded to Hi-Tech, a Chagoury Group company, without open competitive bidding, amidst Nigeria’s severe economic challenges. The ten-lane highway traverses 100 km of coastal wetlands in Lagos that provide natural water drainage and control. Despite severe environmental hazards like flooding and related disease affecting Lagosians, no environmental impact assessment has been published for this project, as required by law.

While a coastal highway may have its merits, it is important to stand against the ills of leadership that these violations epitomize, which are of great detriment to our wider society.

I urge all Lagosians, and Nigerians generally, to demand accountability and ensure these dangerous actions are addressed under the law.

Funso Doherty

Lagos, Nigeria