FG to Build Lagoon Tunnel from Ahmadu Bello Way to Link Coastal and Sokoto-Badagry Highways
April 7, 2025 — Nigeria’s Federal Government has unveiled ambitious plans to construct an underwater tunnel beneath the Lagos Lagoon, connecting Ahmadu Bello Way on Victoria Island to Snake Island. Announced by Minister of Works David Umahi during an Arise News interview on Sunday, April 6, the tunnel aims to seamlessly link the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway via Badagry, forming a critical piece of President Bola Tinubu’s infrastructure vision.
Umahi detailed the project as part of a broader network of “legacy roads” designed to integrate Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. “At the Lagos end, it’s linked through Ahmadu Bello Way to a lagoon, where we plan to build a tunnel through the lagoon to Snake Island, and then to Badagry, which connects to the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway,” he explained. The 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, launched in May 2024, will tie into the 1,068-kilometer Sokoto-Badagry route—flagged off in October 2024—creating a loop that stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Sahel, with spurs like the Trans-Saharan Road from Calabar to Abuja enhancing connectivity.
The tunnel, a first of its kind in Nigeria, addresses the challenge of bridging Lagos’ waterways without disrupting maritime traffic or urban sprawl. Starting at Ahmadu Bello Way—where the Coastal Highway’s zero point lies—it will traverse the lagoon to Snake Island, an industrial hub near the Tin Can and Apapa ports, before extending to Badagry. Umahi didn’t disclose a timeline or cost, but the project aligns with Tinubu’s push for transformative infrastructure, including solar-powered streetlights and CCTV along these superhighways. “It’s all part of a loop—Abuja connects to the North East via Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe, covering every zone,” he added.
Progress on related projects offers context. The Coastal Highway’s Section 1, a 47-kilometer stretch from Ahmadu Bello Way toward Lekki, targets 30 kilometers of completion by May 25, despite setbacks like ocean surges near Drainage 13. The Sokoto-Badagry Highway, meanwhile, has 120 kilometers underway in Sokoto and 258 in Kebbi, with Hitech Construction leading both efforts. Umahi flagged off the Calabar section on April 14, with Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi segments set for mid-April launches, signaling a rapid rollout amid Trump’s tariff-driven global economic turbulence.
The tunnel’s economic promise is significant—linking the Lekki economic corridor (home to Dangote’s refinery and deep-sea ports) to Badagry’s proposed port and the northern trade routes could slash transport costs and boost interregional trade. Yet challenges loom: funding remains a mix of federal cash and private loans, with the Coastal Highway’s first phase alone costing N1.06 trillion. Posts on X question feasibility, with one user asking, “A lagoon tunnel? How do we pay for this when markets are crashing?” Umahi, undeterred, stressed resilience: “We’re correcting delays and pushing forward.”
As Nigeria grapples with heatwaves in Lagos and Enugu and a $5 trillion stock market slide, the lagoon tunnel stands as a bold bet on connectivity—one that could either redefine the nation’s infrastructure or test its fiscal limits. For now, it’s a vision in motion, with the ground yet to break but the stakes sky-high.