The Federal Government has renamed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway.
Minister of Works David Umahi announced the decision on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja, saying the project was renamed in recognition of President Bola Tinubu’s long-standing vision for the coastal road.
Umahi said the decision was taken after consultations within the leadership of the Ministry of Works.
He said: “That (coastal) highway is named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Coastal Highway.
“By the powers conferred on me as Minister of Works, in consultation with my Permanent Secretary, the Minister of State, directors and staff of the ministry, we decided to name it after him because of his dream for it.”
The minister added: “He had that dream about 27 years back as governor of Lagos State. It is one thing to dream and another thing to have the grace of God to actualise that dream.”
Umahi described the first section of the 750-kilometre highway, stretching from Victoria Island to Lekki, as a major infrastructure milestone.
According to him, the 47.47-kilometre six-lane carriageway includes a 25-metre-wide median reserved for a future railway line.
The minister also disclosed that President Tinubu had approved a 400-kilometre extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway.
He said the project, originally planned to run from Akwanga in Nasarawa State to Maiduguri in Borno State through Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu, would now extend into Taraba State.
Announcing the approval, Umahi said: “The greatest story is that yesterday President Bola Tinubu approved the addition of 400 kilometres to our Fourth Legacy Road.
“That is an 800-kilometre road now extended to 1,100 kilometres, and that is unprecedented.”
He further disclosed that the President approved the dualisation of another 400 kilometres of the East-West Road, the reconstruction of sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using reinforced concrete pavement, the completion of the abandoned Ibi Bridge in Taraba State and the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lao Bridge.
According to Umahi, the projects are part of the Federal Government’s efforts to improve connectivity, stimulate economic activities and modernise critical transport infrastructure across the country.
[1:23 p.m., 2026-07-17] Izzy: Idoma Diaspora writes Tinubu, demands urgent action over Benue killings
The Idoma Association USA has petitioned President Bola Tinubu over the persistent insecurity in Benue South, warning that their patience regarding ongoing massacres in Idoma land must not be mistaken for weakness.
The diaspora group appealed to the federal government to take immediate and decisive action to end the persistent killings in the area, describing the attacks as a sustained campaign of violence that has lasted for more than a decade.
“We have shown restraint in the face of sustained provocation, but our patience must not be mistaken for weakness, and our blood is not worthless,” the group stated in an open letter addressed to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The open letter was jointly signed by the President of the Idoma Association USA, Prince Dr. Edwin Ochai, and the association’s Secretary, Chief Sylvester Onche Steno.
Copies were also sent to the Vice President, the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, the Governor of Benue State, the Senator representing Benue South, the Och’Idoma and the President-General of Ochetoha K’Idoma.
The association referenced the recent attacks on Akpachi village in Ugboju and Otukpo-Nobi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area on July 11 and 12, which it said reportedly claimed at least 20 lives.
It also said communities in Agatu, Apa, Otukpo, Ohimini, Okpokwu, Ado, Obi and Oju local government areas have experienced repeated attacks over the years, resulting in deaths, displacement and disruption of livelihoods.
The diaspora group further claimed that traditional authorities had received information ahead of the latest attacks and had alerted relevant security agencies.
It called for a review of the security response to the incidents and urged authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attacks.
The association reminded the Federal Government of its constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of citizens and appealed for greater security presence in affected communities.
While acknowledging Governor Hyacinth Alia’s visit to Otukpo following the recent attacks, the association noted that it would have preferred visits to the affected communities to offer support to victims and their families.
According to the group, expressions of sympathy should be accompanied by concrete measures to improve security and prevent future attacks.
The association urged President Tinubu to deploy additional security personnel to vulnerable communities in Benue South, order a thorough investigation into the attacks, establish permanent security outposts in vulnerable areas, and provide humanitarian assistance to affected residents.
It also appealed for efforts to identify and prosecute those responsible for the attacks in accordance with the law.
The group expressed hope that the Federal Government would take decisive steps to restore peace and protect lives and property in the area.
