Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has questioned the funding and direction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway while charging Nigerians to defend their votes.

Reacting to the recent decision to reroute parts of the multi-trillion-naira project inland through Edo State to join the East-West Road, Falana described the development critically.

“The COASTAL road has now become LAND road because they don’t have budget to fund it. What of the N15 trillion earmarked for that road?” he asked.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, estimated at around N15 trillion to N15.6 trillion, was originally planned as a coastal corridor linking Lagos to Calabar through several states. Works Minister Dave Umahi recently confirmed that after Lagos and Ogun, the alignment would detour inland rather than remain fully coastal, citing engineering challenges and terrain difficulties.

Falana linked the infrastructure controversy to broader concerns about democratic accountability.

He charged Nigerians to actively protect their votes, rejecting any form of intimidation or restriction on the right to vote.

“We didn’t fight for this rickety democracy… That somebody will look at your face and say, oh, you should not vote,” Falana stated.

The senior advocate has consistently called on citizens to mobilise and ensure credible elections, particularly ahead of the 2027 general polls, insisting that only Nigerians themselves can safeguard the democratic process.