The Federal Ministry of Works has launched the first batch of Coastal Highway Guards, with the mandate to strengthen security and protect critical infrastructure from all illegal activities, including destruction or theft.
Tripod Times reports that Minister of Works, David Umahi, launched the initiative with an initial forty (40) officers with the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on New Media, Jubril Gawat, making the announcement in a statement on his X handle on Sunday.
According to Gawat, the Minister of Works, “The Honorable Minister of Works, Senator @realdaveumahi, today launched the COASTAL HIGHWAY GUARDS, starting with 40 officers. These personnel will be in charge of: “Maintaining presence on the highway; reporting suspicious activities; restricting hawking on the Coastal Highway;
“Reporting and monitoring any form of vandalism; restricting keke or okada on the Coastal Highway; and restricting loitering on the Coastal Highway,” he wrote.
While quoting the Minister, Gawat said the initiative was a full-time job aimed at protecting government assets and not an empowerment programme.
“The Hon. Minister says this is not an ‘empowerment program’, 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,” Gawat said.
Umahi had earlier lamented illegal activities on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, espcially the removal of construction materials and illegal occupation 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,” Umahi said.
The Works Controller in Lagos had since been directed to ensure that motorcycles, tricycles, hawkers and other unauthorised activities were kept off the highway.
“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 said.
“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.”
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 750-kilometre, 10-lane highway being developed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.
