Tinubu warns against Illegal building, hails Coastal Highway Project

By Kunle Sanni

President Bola Tinubu has issued a stern warning to developers and landowners against unauthorized construction along federal infrastructure corridors, declaring that violators will face dire consequences without compensation.

The President made this declaration during the official commissioning of Phase 1, Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a flagship 750-kilometre project designed as a six-lane carriageway cutting across several coastal states, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River.

“The era of indiscriminate development and encroachment on public infrastructure is over,” Tinubu said. “If you build illegally, you bear the consequences.”

He urged developers, traditional leaders, and local councils to uphold urban development laws, emphasizing that infrastructure like highways are national assets that must be preserved and maintained collectively.

“These projects belong to all of us. They are lifelines for future generations,” he added.

Tinubu also reflected on early skepticism surrounding the Lagos-Calabar Highway, especially fears about the Atlantic Ocean’s threat to construction in the Lekki-Epe-Victoria Island corridor.

“We were told it couldn’t be done. Some said the Atlantic would devour us. But we stood firm. Today, we have not only tamed the ocean—we’ve turned a threat into a treasure,” he declared.

The President described the highway as a symbol of resilience and a catalyst for economic transformation across Nigeria’s southern corridor.