Furious Nigerians have criticized President Bola Tinubu and his administration following the announcement of plans to abandon the Lagos-Calabar highway realignment project, which had already led to the demolition of a landmark beach resort.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, addressed a stakeholders' meeting in Lagos concerning compensation and environmental impact assessment for the coastal road project. During the meeting, he announced the government's decision to halt the project.

He explained that the federal government has opted to divert the realignment of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project to protect telecommunications infrastructure and submarine cables, among other considerations.

Umahi disclosed this information on Thursday, May 23, 2024, stating, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have our proposal here, alongside the old, gazetted alignment. To the glory of God, and to address the concerns of MTN, 2Africa, and the Okun Ajah community, we are completely diverting from the new alignment and rejoining the original alignment at kilometer 25. Congratulations."

He elaborated further, "We have three critical infrastructures located at a single site. One is the 2Africa submarine cable, which spans 33 countries and connects approximately three billion people. This cable landed at Mopo, where the West African Cable Systems (WACS) had been situated approximately 17 years prior.

"We also have a significant Independent Power Plant (IPP) designed to supply electricity to both the 2Africa cable and the WACS cable. This power plant, with a capacity of 50 megawatts, is expected to support these infrastructures.

"The proposed new corridor would have passed directly over the submarine cable, with the other side situated on the IPP. Without power, the submarine cables cannot function. They are essential. The submarine cable represents a critical piece of national security infrastructure. Should it be compromised, the repercussions would be widespread," he concluded.

This decision has sparked concerns regarding the federal government's motives for 'intentionally' demolishing structures only to later revert to an alternative route.

Below are some reactions from social media:

tufab:I know say that movement na mostly out of beef. The thing go don dy bother dem say when dem give that kind massive land to landmark.. steady cashout. Body just dy pepper government. That fine place wey I dy go relax observe nature. Chaiiiiii. I don kukuma do beach for my backyard

_dayveed__: They destroyed investments worth multiple millions of dollars when they could’ve just done their homework better. It looks to me like a targeted move against certain parties.

sir_tigga: Nigeria govt is like the dev!l came to steal k!II and destroy

officialdcn: God will not forgive Dave Umahi for the pains he has inflicted on people that are making their money genuinely through hard work

_officialcci: This is pure wickedness