Federal Government has given motorists and other road users on the Lagos section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway a two-week ultimatum to comply with safety regulations or risk the closure of the route.
Gatekeepers News reports that Olufemi Dare, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, issued the warning on Monday during an inspection and briefing on safety and security challenges along the highway. He said the directive followed persistent speeding, vandalism, illegal parking and other activities threatening road users and ongoing construction.
Dare said the Minister of Works, David Umahi, had directed the ministry to shut the road if there was no significant improvement within two weeks.
“Within two weeks, if there’s no improvement on all these issues, then we have no option than to come back and shut down this road,” he said.
The controller expressed concern over motorists exceeding the prescribed 30km/h speed limit, noting that some drivers had been travelling at speeds of up to 120km/h despite construction activities still ongoing.
“We have said your speed on the coastal road must not be more than 30km/h. It is well written everywhere. But people will come here and go at 100km/h. This cannot continue,” Dare said.
He said the government was particularly concerned about loss of lives on the highway, adding that the authorities could no longer allow unsafe practices to continue.
The Lagos section of the coastal highway covers about 103 kilometres, divided into two sections of approximately 47km and 56km. Dare noted that construction was still ongoing, particularly on bridges, and said the road would ordinarily not have been opened to traffic before completion of the bridges.
Federal Government also raised concerns over the parking of trucks and articulated vehicles along the highway. Dare said illegally parked trucks would be towed away and their operators could face prosecution.
He further warned against illegal U-turns and said commercial motorcycles, tricycles, hawking and animal grazing had been prohibited on the highway. More than 100 Okada riders were reportedly arrested on the route in the previous week.
On vandalism, Dare disclosed that about five kilometres of ClearVu fencing had been removed, while concrete covers covering about 18 kilometres had been vandalised and taken away.
He said the ministry was considering replacing some of the steel fencing with block walls in areas where vandalism had persisted, while CCTV cameras were also being considered to strengthen surveillance.
The government has also approved the recruitment of 40 coastal guards for the first section of the highway. The guards are expected to be drawn from communities along the route and work with the police to improve surveillance.
Dare said police deployment along the highway had already been increased following discussions between Umahi and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani.
Federal Government has urged motorists, truck operators and other road users to comply with the safety regulations, warning that enforcement would be intensified if violations continue.
