Former Kogi State Senator and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melaye, has described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as “the biggest fraud in Africa,” renewing criticism of one of the Federal Government’s flagship infrastructure projects.
Melaye made the claim in an interview circulated on social media on September 28, where he questioned the cost and procurement process surrounding the coastal highway project.
According to a report on his remarks, Melaye questioned the reported multitrillion-naira cost of the project and alleged that the expenditure raised concerns about the use of public funds. However, he did not provide evidence in the cited remarks establishing that the project constituted fraud.
His comments have triggered reactions from supporters of the Federal Government, who argue that the project has already delivered tangible benefits to residents and motorists in Lagos.
The Federal Government temporarily opened a 30-kilometre completed stretch of the first phase of the Lagos section to traffic in December 2025.
The Federal Ministry of Information said the opened section runs from the Ahmadu Bello Way Junction in Victoria Island to Eleko Village Junction in Lekki.
The ministry described the wider project as a 750-kilometre coastal highway linking Lagos with eight other states , Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River , with expected benefits including improved connectivity, tourism, job creation and regional economic integration.
The project has, however, remained controversial over its cost, procurement process, property demolitions and the pace of construction.
Minister of Works Dave Umahi has repeatedly defended the highway against criticisms from opposition politicians and other commentators.
In August 2026, Umahi challenged critics of the project to a public debate, insisting that construction was progressing across several sections.
He said Lot 1 had been completed, Lot 2 was more than 80 per cent completed at the time, while work had also commenced in Ondo, Akwa Ibom and Cross River.
The minister put the project’s estimated cost at about ₦4 billion per kilometre and argued that the highway would help open up Nigeria’s coastal economy.
The controversy has also included questions about the overall cost of the project and whether the Federal Government followed appropriate procurement procedures.
In December 2025, the Federal Government disclosed that the project had faced 27 court cases, with seven major cases reportedly won and several others settled out of court.
More recently, BusinessDay reported that vandalism had affected infrastructure along portions of the Lagos section, including the removal of about five kilometres of ClearVu fencing and approximately 18 kilometres of concrete covers, according to a Federal Ministry of Works official.
The report described the project as having an estimated value of $13 billion and said construction was progressing across nine states.
Melaye's latest criticism comes amid a broader political dispute over the Tinubu administration's infrastructure priorities.
Critics have argued that the government should prioritise existing roads and other infrastructure in poor condition rather than committing substantial resources to a new coastal highway.
Supporters of the project, however, say the road is intended to serve as a long-term economic corridor connecting coastal communities and facilitating transportation, trade, tourism and investment.
The Federal Government maintains that the project is progressing and remains a major component of its infrastructure programme.
Melaye's description of the highway as “the biggest fraud in Africa” is therefore a political allegation rather than an established finding of fraud. No court or investigative body cited in the available reports has established that the project is a fraud.
The debate over the highway is likely to continue as construction advances and questions surrounding its cost, procurement, financing, completion timeline and economic benefits remain subjects of public scrutiny.
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