Public procurement advocacy group, Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development, has criticised the inauguration of a 30-kilometre stretch of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing the move as misleading and premature.
In a statement signed on Sunday by its Country Head, Mr. Akingunola Omoniyi, NEFGAD expressed concern that the 750-kilometre highway, a signature infrastructure project meant to connect Nigeria’s coastal states, was being politicised.
The group argued that presenting only 4% of the total road length as a completed project unfitly distorts the scope and intent of the broader project.
“This is a 750-kilometre unbroken contract, designed to be a transformative corridor for Nigeria’s southern region.
“Commissioning just 30 kilometres gives a false impression of progress,” Omoniyi said.
NEFGAD warned that such symbolic gestures could erode public confidence in the government’s project delivery and set a dangerous precedent of celebrating unfinished infrastructure for political gain.
The group also urged President Bola Tinubu not to yield to pressure to inaugurate uncompleted projects.
It emphasised that governance is a continuum, pointing out that the current administration itself has benefited from completing projects initiated by past governments.
“Commissioning should reflect substantial completion and functionality—not mere photo opportunities. Nigerians deserve genuine accountability and transparency,” the statement said.
NEFGAD also called on the Ministry of Works to adopt credible milestones for project tracking and ensure that only fully functional or significantly completed sections of infrastructure projects are showcased.
