Wahab Backs Great Wall Expansion Along Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway
Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has said the Great Wall of Lagosshould be extended to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from the Atlantic Ocean, citing the need to safeguard the expanding coastal infrastructure. Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Wahab said the existing sea defence has effectively protected the coastline around Eko Atlantic and Victoria Island but noted that the new coastal highway now requires similar protection along its route. "The coastal stretch must be protected," he said, explaining that the protective wall would run parallel to the highway to shield it from coastal erosion and storm surges. Wahab also defended the Eko Atlantic reclamation project, dismissing concerns that it could create future environmental problems. According to him, the project was scientifically designed to stabilise the coastline and has continued to perform its intended function.
The commissioner, however, acknowledged that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has altered natural drainage patterns in parts of the Lekki axis, contributing to flooding in areas such as Ologolo. He explained that before the highway was built, stormwater flowed directly into the lagoon, but the road now separates downstream channels from their natural outlets. To address the challenge, Wahab said the Lagos State Government has submitted its drainage master plan to the Federal Ministry of Works, recommending that drainage channels be routed beneath the highway into the lagoon to restore proper water flow. The Great Wall of Lagos is an 8.5-kilometre coastal defence structure built with massive rock formations and specially engineered concrete accropodes to protect Victoria Island, Eko Atlantic and neighbouring communities from ocean surges and coastal erosion. The 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, currently under construction, is expected to connect nine coastal states, improve transportation, boost trade and strengthen economic integration across Nigeria's southern corridor.
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