President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to treat public infrastructure as a shared national asset, urging citizens to protect roads, bridges, and highways through collective responsibility.

Speaking at the official inauguration of Phase 1, Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway on Sunday, Tinubu cautioned property developers and landowners against building on federal infrastructure corridors without proper authorisation. He stressed that his administration would no longer tolerate unauthorised developments or pay compensation for illegal structures encroaching on federal rights of way.

“If you build illegally, you bear the consequences,” the president said, reiterating his commitment to enforcing urban planning regulations.

Tinubu encouraged developers, traditional rulers, and local authorities to respect established urban development laws, warning that illegal construction endangers lives, undermines economic growth, and compromises national infrastructure.

“These projects belong to all of us. They are not political trophies; they are lifelines for future generations. Every citizen has a role to play in keeping them safe, clean, and functional,” he said.

The 750km coastal highway will traverse eight states: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River. Designed as a six-lane carriageway within a 60-metre corridor, it is one of the administration’s flagship infrastructure projects.

Tinubu recounted the scepticism that initially surrounded the highway project, especially over concerns about the Atlantic Ocean’s destructive tendencies along the Lekki-Epe-Victoria Island axis.

“Critics said it was impossible—that the Atlantic would devour us. But we stood firm. We rejected fear and embraced science, engineering, and courage,” he said.

He explained that the government deployed reinforced concrete pavement technology and strategic coastal defences to prevent a potential ecological disaster.

“A tsunami-like disaster could have washed away Ikoyi and Victoria Island. But today, we’ve not only tamed the ocean—we’ve turned a threat into a treasure,” Tinubu said.

The president appealed to communities along the project corridor to guard against vandalism, illegal dumping, and unauthorised modifications.

Acknowledging the public’s concerns over economic hardship, he urged Nigerians to remain patient. “I know your expectations remain high, and our people are facing difficult times. But the hope is real and attainable,” he said, pointing to lower inflation, reduced corruption in foreign exchange and fuel subsidy regimes, and renewed investment in local manufacturing.

He also virtually commissioned several projects across the six geopolitical zones, including major road rehabilitations and bridge constructions in Lagos, Rivers, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Kwara, Plateau, Kano, and Adamawa States.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who attended the inauguration, commended Tinubu’s leadership and urged outgoing governors to prioritise competence in choosing successors.

“Governance is too important to be left in the hands of cronies or loyalists who lack capacity,” Akpabio said, warning against favouring loyalty over merit in succession plans.

Minister of Works Dave Umahi also praised Tinubu’s infrastructure push, noting that the use of reinforced concrete technology ensures durability of 50 to 100 years. He requested presidential intervention to mandate Dangote and BUA to remit 2% of their sales to the Ministry of Works as compensation for increased cement sales.

Umahi revealed that N18 billion has so far been disbursed in compensation for Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar project.

Dignitaries at the event included Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and UBA Group Chairman Tony Elumelu.