The Federal Government has announced plans to construct what could become Africa’s first underwater tunnel, designed to connect the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto–Badagry corridor.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this during an inspection tour in Lagos on Wednesday. He explained that the 2.9-kilometre tunnel will run from Ahmadu Bello Way to Snake Island, with an extension to Badagry.
“Our tunnel is inside the ground. It’s going to be 2.9 kilometres. When done, it will be the first tunnel in Africa inside water,” Umahi said.
The minister noted that the project would be executed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, funded through land resources around Snake Island and Badagry under a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) model.
“Before people start shouting, oh, you want to borrow, we have land at Snake Island and by Badagry. We hope to use this land under PPP to fund the project,” he explained.
According to Umahi, the tunnel is part of a broader federal vision to strengthen coastal connectivity, ease pressure on Lagos bridges, and open new routes to support commerce and mobility.
He also used the occasion to restate the Federal Government’s revised procurement policy, which bars expatriate firms from bidding on contracts below ₦20 billion.
“We are saying that expatriate firms will no longer do jobs below ₦20 billion. But indigenous contractors are capable, and they can handle jobs in billions and trillions,” Umahi said.
The minister further warned contractors against leaving binder courses uncovered on roads for prolonged periods, stressing that such practices lead to early road failures. “Contractors that fail to comply risk negative certificates, and we will recover monies from their jobs,” he warned.