A fresh controversy has broken out regarding the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway after former lawmaker Dino Melaye shared a 15-second video on X (formerly Twitter) showing a waterlogged stretch of the multi-billion-dollar project.
In the footage, vehicles are seen navigating flooded sections, leading Melaye to question the durability of the high-profile infrastructure.
However, Reno Omokri, the Nigerian Ambassador-designate to Mexico, swiftly dismissed the criticism in a detailed open letter released on Tuesday, insisting the flooding is a geographical reality rather than a construction flaw.
“Dear Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye,” Omokri wrote, “Thank you for raising this observation. However, please note that Lagos Island is one of the few places in Africa that is either at or below sea level. As such, and even more so because of climate change, the island will experience regular flooding.”
Omokri maintained that the occurrence was a “fact of nature” and had “nothing to do with the quality of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway or any supposed failure of President Tinubu.”
He compared the situation to the Netherlands, noting that even advanced European nations experience annual road closures due to flooding.
Defending the technical integrity of the highway, Omokri stated that he had personally been briefed by technical staff on-site.
“It is built to anticipate flooding and mitigate its effects. Give it some hours after the rainfall, and the floods will gradually dissipate,” he noted.
Omokri also used the opportunity to highlight the President’s past achievements in land reclamation, specifically Eko Atlantic City.
He pointed out that the project, worth $6bn in 2026, is an example of Tinubu’s ability to “reclaim land from the sea by sand filling an area the size of Manhattan in New York.”
He further credited Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos Governor for introducing mobile barriers and dredging the lagoon, which he claimed saved much of the state from being submerged.
“Rather than mock such a man, who could add $6bn to the GDP of Nigeria with just one idea, I think every reasonable person should be proud that we have such an asset at the helm of affairs in Nigeria,” Omokri added, referencing an IMF report that listed Nigeria as the sixth largest contributor to global GDP growth in 2025—a feat he noted was “celebrated by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man.”
While the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to revolutionize trade and tourism along Nigeria’s southern corridor, it continues to face public scrutiny regarding environmental impact and its ability to withstand the country’s evolving climate challenges.
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