The Federal Government has inaugurated a dedicated security team, Coastal Highway Guards, to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway against vandalism and other unauthorised activities.

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The initiative was launched on Sunday by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, with an initial deployment of 40 officers.

The development was announced in a statement posted on X by the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Lagos State Governor, Jubril Gawat.

The 750-kilometre, 10-lane Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

The project is being executed by Hitech Construction Company Limited under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Works.

According to Gawat, the special guards will maintain a security presence along the highway, report suspicious activities, monitor and report vandalism, and prevent hawking, the use of tricycles and motorcycles, as well as loitering along the road.

He said the team would be led by retired General Adekunle Shodunke and would work with other security agencies in Lagos State.

Quoting Umahi, Gawat said the initiative was a full-time security assignment aimed at protecting national assets.

“The Hon. Minister says this is not an ‘empowerment programme’. It is a full-time job to protect national assets of the government and in line with the Renewed Hope of Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,” he quoted the minister as saying.

Earlier on Sunday, Umahi expressed concern over the removal of construction materials and unauthorised occupation of sections of the highway.

“We have had very terrible, unpatriotic elements removing the blocks, breaking the fence, removing the rods and treading on the highway. This must stop,” he said.

The minister directed the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos to ensure that motorcycles, tricycles, hawkers and other unauthorised users were kept off the coastal road.

“Their job is that no keke on the coastal highway, no motorcycle on the coastal highway, and no loitering. There is no superhighway all over the country where you see people loitering,” he added.

Umahi said that during an inspection of the project with members of the National Assembly at about 11 p.m., people were found sleeping on the highway.

“Last night, we were there with the National Assembly members by 11 pm; people were sleeping on the coastal highway. It must stop. No hawking, no occupation illegally along the entire coast,” he said.

He also called on the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to strengthen the protection of strategic national infrastructure.

The minister further disclosed that the Ministry of Works had opened its ongoing projects to scrutiny by anti-corruption agencies.

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