Ilaje, Itsekiri leaders reject Umahi’s revised coastal highway, demand original route
Leaders of the Ilaje ethnic nationality in Ondo State and the Itsekiri people of Delta State have rejected the revised route of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, urging the Federal Government to retain the original alignment through coastal communities.
The position was contained in a resolution reached at a joint meeting of leaders of thought from both ethnic nationalities held in Lagos on September 19, 2026.
The stakeholders in the resolution signed by Barrister Austin Nonen Oboroegbeyi, Comrade Amaechi Omagbitse, Dr Benson Enikuomehin, and Dr Adeolu Austin Efotan specifically called on the Itsekiri Nation to issue a statement opposing what they described as the rerouting of the coastal highway by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, to non-coastal communities.
According to the resolution, the two groups agreed to work together to ensure that the highway follows its “original route, passing through the Coastal Communities.”
The leaders disputed the reasons advanced for altering the route, arguing that the revised alignment would be more expensive and longer than the coastal corridor.
They said construction along the coastal route covering the Ilaje communities in Ondo State and Itsekiri communities in Delta State would cost between ₦4 billion and ₦7.5 billion per kilometre, while the alternative route, according to them, would cost between ₦7.5 billion and ₦12 billion per kilometre.
The stakeholders also said that the distance from Olosunmeta to the Itsekiri axis in Delta State is approximately 100 to 110 kilometres, whereas the proposed alternative route would cover between 170 and 190 kilometres.
They further argued that the alternative alignment would pass through swampy terrain requiring numerous bridges, while describing the coastal alignment as a more direct corridor through communities including Araromi, Abe-Oroyo, Ogogoro, Ugbonla, Apata, Awoye, Ugbege, Oghoye, Orere, Agogboro and Ode-Ugborodo.
The resolution announced the establishment of a tactical committee comprising representatives of the Ilaje and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities.
The committee, according to the stakeholders, will engage the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to press for the retention of the coastal alignment, as well as mobilise traditional institutions, youths, women, professionals and other stakeholders.
The groups also resolved that legal action could be pursued where possible to ensure what they described as justice, equity and fairness.
They further proposed an inclusive memorandum involving traditional institutions, religious leaders, market women, opinion leaders and other stakeholders across the Niger Delta areas of Ilaje and Itsekiri. The memorandum is expected to outline their case for retaining the Lagos-Calabar highway along the coastal corridors of Ondo and Delta states.
An implementation committee is also to be established to coordinate the execution of the resolutions reached at the meeting.
