By Blessing Elo Oghene
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and its accompanying rail system will ease students’ movement between the South-West and South-South regions upon completion.
The association said the projects would reduce travel time, improve access to tertiary institutions and boost commercial activities across the country.
NANS President, Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, stated this after leading a delegation of the association on an inspection of the coastal highway as part of its nationwide federal roads project tour.
Afeez, in a statement, described the highway as a major infrastructure investment capable of improving transportation, trade and national development.
He expressed satisfaction with the scale of the project, highlighting its bridges, construction work and proposed rail connection.
According to him, the highway’s benefits will extend beyond road transportation to include improved connectivity, easier movement of goods and passengers, and the creation of economic opportunities.
He said Nigerian students would be among the major beneficiaries, particularly those travelling long distances to pursue their academic programmes in institutions across the South-West and South-South.
“As the apex body representing Nigerian students, our interest in this project goes beyond the quality of the construction. We are particularly concerned about how infrastructure of this magnitude will improve the welfare and mobility of our students,” he said.
Afeez added that improved connectivity between the two regions would make journeys to campuses less stressful and reduce the time students spend travelling.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s commitment to infrastructure development and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for his role in driving the coastal highway project.
The NANS president described quality infrastructure as essential to national development, noting that improved transportation would strengthen students’ access to educational opportunities.
He said the association would continue its nationwide federal roads project tour to assess roads leading to tertiary institutions and provide independent observations and recommendations where necessary.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a Federal Government project expected to improve transportation links along Nigeria’s southern coastline.
