Dan Bello Exposes “Lagos Coastal Highway Trap”: Multi-Billion Naira Land Grab Scheme Masked as Infrastructure
Popular investigative journalist and satirist Bello Galadanchi, widely known as Dan Bello, has released a damning on-the-ground report from the Atlantic shoreline in Lagos, describing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a sinking, flood-triggering, and vastly overpriced project masking a massive coastal land grab.
In a video investigation that has gone viral, Dan Bello walked viewers along the newly constructed stretch of the highway.
“Everyone, this is the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos. And over here, a new road is being built that is supposed to link up five states from Lagos to Calabar. But this is just the surface,” he said.
“A Disaster Being Paved Before Our Eyes”
He showed visible depression and sinking sections of the road.
“My fellow Nigerians, a disaster is being paved right before our eyes. Look at this road right next to the ocean, known as the Coastal Highway, spanning from Lagos to Calabar. Sections are already sinking. Can you see the unusual depression right in front of us? Oh, here is another one. See? There are dozens of these; the land is sinking with the road on top.”
According to him, the failure is due to two reasons: shoddy work that does not match the huge funds allocated, and zero geological research.
“They are in a hurry to do the project for a hidden reason that I will show you in a moment. It stops short of 50 kilometers after two years of work. That’s all after all the buzz.”
Dan Bello noted that after two years of construction and a significant dent in the national budget, the project which is billed to span over 700km to Calabar is still inside Lagos.
“The coastal road that made a significant dent in our National budget and took years of construction, right? Well, look, this is where it stops! And we are still inside Lagos.”
97 Times More Expensive Than Cairo to Cape Town Road
He raised alarm over cost and environmental impact, stating that the ocean’s aggressive land reclamation is consuming the budget faster than the asphalt itself.
“This is far beyond any reasonable budget for a highway in the world. Take a look at the cost per kilometer compared to the highway from Egypt to South Africa; the coastal highway is 97 times more expensive per kilometer than the Cairo to Cape Town road.”
He also said the bridges and land-filling associated with the highway are blocking natural waterways and causing unprecedented flooding in Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi – areas that never experienced severe flooding before.
No Bidding, No Transparent Cost
Dan Bello questioned the procurement process, revealing there was no public bidding and the contract was directly awarded to Hitech Construction, owned by the Chagoury brothers, with no transparent total cost disclosed.
“There is no transparent cost for the project as no public bidding was done; rather, it was directly allocated to HiTech. That is to say, no due process was followed, alongside so many other ambiguities with the award, construction, and execution of the projects.”
“HiTech, run by the Chagoury brothers, has an open checkbook from our coffers. Billions spent for this dangerous folly. We must ask: Who are they?”
He traced the Chagourys as Lebanese immigrants who came to Nigeria as refugees escaping war about 60 years ago but now exert massive influence over government affairs, while frustrated local Nigerian contractors remain unpaid for years.
“Frustrated local contractors watch while they feast. They are witnessing immigrants enjoy juicy contracts while many of them haven’t been paid for years.”
“This Is Not Infrastructure; It’s A Land Grab”
The core of his allegation is that the highway is a smokescreen for reclaiming valuable oceanfront land in Lagos to be sold for billions of dollars in profit.
“How did they capture us? Where is our red line? This is not infrastructure; it’s a land grab. They are using Nigeria’s budget to reclaim coastal land. The road is a smokescreen for the massive budget for Nigerians to justify its economic value. They seem busier reclaiming valuable coastal land in Lagos, filling it with sand to sell for billions while our people starve and cannot afford medicine. We are watching this happen.”
He ended with a stark warning:
“This is a warning: this road is a trap. It will flood, it will fail, and we will pay the price. The Lebanese will make massive profits no matter what, by using our own National budget as their personal investment. This budget is supposed to be used to address the massive amount of problems facing Nigerians. Nigerians, wake up! Let’s start asking the questions everyone is afraid to ask right now. Let’s start pointing fingers before the water rises, destroys people, and ruins the road. Because if we stay silent today, tomorrow we might lose the entire country to foreign interests.”
