By Foluso Adelaja, Editor
The Federal Government’s 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway traversing Ogun State will not only be by complement proposed Ogun Deep Sea Port when completed, it would serve as a major boost to the Port and other strategic investments along the state’s coastline, the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun has said.
The governor, who made this known during the commissioning of the reconstructed Gao-Ibiade Road in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, noted that the 28-kilometre stretch of the Federal Government’s Coastal Highway project traverse the state.
Prince Abiodun said the coastal highway would unlock the economic potential of Ogun Waterside by providing the critical infrastructure required to drive industrialisation, maritime development and large-scale investments.
Abiodun commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for initiating the Coastal Highway, describing it as a bold and visionary national infrastructure project that would not only open up enormous economic opportunities for Ogun State but also stimulate trade, investment, tourism and regional connectivity across the country.
He disclosed that he had received fresh assurances from officials handling the project that the 28-kilometre Ogun section of the highway would be completed before the end of the year.
The governor explained that his administration deliberately worked to secure an alignment that would support the proposed Ogun Deep Sea Port, ensuring that the highway runs between three and five kilometres from the state’s coastline.
According to him, the absence of an efficient evacuation corridor had remained the biggest obstacle to the development of the Deep Sea Port, as the only access route in the past was the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, located about 35 kilometres from the coast.
“Today, with the coastal road coming just a few kilometres from the coastline, everybody now wants to build a port in Ogun Waterside,” he said.
Abiodun noted that the improved road connectivity has renewed investor confidence in the coastal corridor, making Ogun Waterside an attractive destination for major maritime and industrial projects.
He further disclosed that discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) have advanced plans to revive the long-abandoned Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) project, while the corporation has intensified oil exploration activities to establish commercial reserves in the area.
According to the governor, the convergence of the coastal highway, the proposed Deep Sea Port, oil exploration and the revived OKLNG project will transform Ogun Waterside into one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing economic corridors, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs while boosting the state’s revenue base.
“The Ogun State Deep Sea Port will become a reality in Ogun Waterside. That Deep Sea Port will be the best in Sub-Saharan Africa. There will be no port like it anywhere in Nigeria,” the governor assured.
He also revealed plans to establish a naval base and dockyard within the proposed port complex to strengthen maritime security and support commercial shipping activities.
Reflecting on the history of Ogun Waterside, Abiodun lamented decades of neglect despite its enormous economic potential, recalling that when he first visited the area in the 1990s, it lacked motorable roads, reliable telecommunications and other basic infrastructure.
He said his administration is determined to reverse that narrative through sustained investments in roads and critical infrastructure to prepare the local government for what he described as an imminent socio-economic transformation.
As part of the infrastructure drive, the governor announced that the reconstruction of the J4-Gao Road would commence soon, while the remaining section linking the route to Abigi, the local government headquarters, would also be rehabilitated.
He explained that the newly reconstructed Gao-Ibiade Road is part of a broader strategy to prepare Ogun Waterside for the anticipated surge in economic activities that will accompany the coastal highway, the Deep Sea Port and other strategic investments.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to balanced development across Ogun State, noting that infrastructure projects have continued to reach all 20 local government areas in fulfilment of his promise to spread development equitably across the state.
