The Federal Government has launched the Coastal Highway Guards to protect the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway from vandalism and other unauthorised activities.

The Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the Lagos State Governor, Jubril Gawat, disclosed this in a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday.

According to Gawat, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, launched the initiative with an initial 40 officers.

He wrote, “The Honorable Minister of Works, Senator @realdaveumahi, today launched the COASTAL HIGHWAY GUARDS, starting with 40 officers. These personnel will be in charge of:

“Maintaining presence on the highway; reporting suspicious activities; restricting hawking on the Coastal Highway;

“Reporting and monitoring any form of vandalism; restricting keke or okada on the Coastal Highway; and restricting loitering on the Coastal Highway.”

Gawat said the team would be led by retired Gen. Adekunle Shodunke and would work with security agencies in the state.

He quoted Umahi as saying the initiative was not an empowerment programme but a full-time job aimed at protecting government assets.

“The Hon. Minister says this is not an ‘empowerment program’, It is a full time job to protect National Assets of the Government and in line with the Renewed Hope of Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR,” Gawat said.

Earlier on Sunday, Umahi expressed concern over activities along sections of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, particularly the removal of construction materials and illegal occupation of the highway.

“We have had very terrible, unpatriotic elements removing the blocks, breaking the fence, removing the rods and treading on the highway. This must stop,” Umahi said.

He directed the Works Controller in Lagos to ensure that motorcycles, tricycles, hawkers and other unauthorised activities were kept off the coastal highway.

“Their job is that no keke on the coastal highway, no motorcycle on the coastal highway, and no loitering. There is no superhighway all over the country where you see people loitering,” he said.

“Last night, we were there with the National Assembly members by 11 pm; people were sleeping on the coastal highway. It must stop. No hawking, no occupation illegally along the entire coast.”

Umahi also called on the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to strengthen its protection of strategic national infrastructure.

He disclosed that the ministry had opened its ongoing projects to scrutiny by anti-corruption agencies.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a 750-kilometre, 10-lane highway being developed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

The project is being undertaken by Hitech Construction Company Limited under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Works.