A coalition of 70 civil society organizations (CSOs) has raised concerns over the proposed alignment of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway through the Stubb’s Creek Forest Reserve in Akwa Ibom State, warning that it could cause irreversible environmental damage.
Gatekeepers News reports that the groups disclosed their position at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday as part of the #SaveStubbsCreek Campaign, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Environmental concerns
The CSOs argued that routing a major highway through the forest reserve is inconsistent with its legal status and conservation mandate.
“Sustainable development must not come at the expense of ecological collapse and heightened climate vulnerability,” said Dr. Kelechukwu Okezie, Executive Director of Neighbourhood Environment.
“Protecting Stubb’s Creek is not an obstacle to development, but rather an investment in climate resilience, environmental justice, and the long-term wellbeing of present and future generations in Akwa Ibom and the wider Niger Delta.”
Stubb’s Creek Forest Reserve, established in 1930, is one of Nigeria’s most important mangrove–freshwater ecosystems, providing biodiversity conservation, coastal protection, flood control, and supporting livelihoods for host communities.
The groups warned that the highway could accelerate deforestation, disrupt water systems, and further stress ecosystems already affected by abandoned road projects and industrial activity.
“The forest hosts rare plants and animals, many already threatened with extinction,” said Tijah Bolton-Akpan of Policy Alert.
“It has sustained livelihoods for generations through products such as palm produce. Previous projects, including an abandoned superhighway, opened the forest to illegal logging and exploitation, leaving communities unable to access resources they once relied on.”
Ben Usang, Chairman of the Cross River Civil Society Network, added that conserving the forest could generate financial resources for both the federal government and local communities.
Calls to action
The CSOs urged the Federal Ministry of Works to reroute the highway, the Federal Ministry of Environment to conduct and publish a full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), and the Akwa Ibom State Government to reaffirm the forest’s protected status.
Highway project details
Minister of Works David Umahi had revealed in 2025 that 107 km of the 750-kilometre Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway would pass through Akwa Ibom. This includes 27 km of Section 3B and 80 km of Section 4. Work on this section commenced last year.
Contracts for the highway across Lagos, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States total over ₦3 trillion: Section I in Lagos cost ₦1.068 trillion, Section II linking to Dangote Refinery cost ₦1.6 trillion, and Sections IIIA and IIIB in Akwa Ibom and Cross River were jointly procured at ₦1.33 trillion.
