Nigeria officially a joke – Rufai Oseni tackles Umahi over Coastal Road

Arise TV presenter, Rufai Oseni, has criticised Minister of Works, David Umahi, over the environmental approval process for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

In a post on X, Oseni described Nigeria as “officially a joke,” alleging that the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, was completed only one month before the first phase of the coastal road was commissioned.

According to him, construction of the highway began in March 2024, while the EIA was completed in April 2025. He noted that the first phase of the project was commissioned in May 2025.

Oseni argued that the timeline raises questions about compliance with the legal requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment before the commencement of major infrastructure projects.

He also claimed that the EIA was not available when it was previously requested, adding that finalising the assessment more than a year after construction had begun undermines its purpose.

According to Oseni, the purpose of an Environmental Impact Assessment is to identify and prevent potential environmental harm before construction begins, rather than document impacts after a project has already been executed.

His comments come amid ongoing public debate over the planning, execution and environmental implications of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

Oseni wrote: “Nigeria is officially a joke.

“An EIA is a prerequisite before you start a project. The EIA of the coastal road was only completed 1 month before the coastal road was commissioned. The coastal was commissioned in May 2025. EIA was completed in April 2025

“Mr Umahi has more questions to answer.

It’s obvious when we asked for the EIA they didn’t have it. Construction on this highway officially began in March 2024. Releasing or finalizing EIA components a year later (April 2025) and commissioning the first phase in May 2025 means the project was built retrospectively.

“This defeats the legal purpose of an EIA, which is to prevent harm rather than document it after construction.”