₦airaland Forum

The Federal Ministry of Works has trained 40 youths drawn from host communities to patrol the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as part of efforts to protect the multi-billion naira infrastructure from vandalism and other illegal activities.

The youths, who were trained by the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos on Tuesday, will work in shifts, with 20 on daytime patrol and 20 on night duty.

Speaking at the training, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olufemi Dare, said the initiative was directed by the Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, to safeguard the highway from increasing cases of vandalism and misuse.

Dare said the guards would complement the police by monitoring the corridor and reporting offenders, stressing that they were not police officers and would only hand over suspects to the police for prosecution.

According to him, the government has recorded persistent theft of critical infrastructure, including clear-view steel fences, manhole covers and directional signs installed along the highway.

He disclosed that vandals had stolen about one kilometre of the steel fence and repeatedly removed manhole covers over an 18-kilometre stretch of the road inspite of replacements by contractors.

"We must not allow this huge investment by the Federal Government to be destroyed by criminals.

"The President and the Minister of Works are committed to protecting this project, which is why these 40 youths have been engaged to support the police," he said.

Dare warned that scavengers operating under the guise of collecting scrap metal, illegal refuse dumpers, commercial motorcycles (Okada), tricycles (Keke Marwa), stationary trucks and roaming livestock would no longer be tolerated on the superhighway.

He said the ministry had procured 20 brand-new motorcycles, branded "Coastal Road Guards", to support the patrol teams.

He added that the guards' activities would be closely monitored, warning that any member found engaging in misconduct or criminal activities would be arrested and prosecuted.

The controller also said the ministry was collaborating with the Lagos State Government and relevant agencies to address indiscriminate refuse dumping along the corridor.

He warned that anyone caught dumping refuse on the highway would face the full weight of the law.

Also speaking, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Zone 2, Lagos, Hakeem Ajasa, charged the recruits to carry out their responsibilities with discipline, professionalism and integrity.

Ajasa warned them against extortion, abuse of authority and jungle justice, stressing that they must always hand over suspects to the police.

"You are not there to collect money from anybody. If anyone is found extorting road users or abusing the assignment, the police will not spare such a person," he said.

He urged the recruits to prioritise intelligence gathering, document offences with cameras or mobile phones where necessary and work only within their assigned communities.

The police chief assured them that anyone arrested for vandalism or related offences would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Similarly, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and Area Commander, Area A, Lion Building, Godwin Idehai, described the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as a national asset deserving maximum protection.

Idehai urged the recruits to embrace community policing by working with residents to identify and apprehend criminals attempting to vandalise public infrastructure.

He advised them to remain patriotic, diligent and committed to the assignment.

Also speaking, the Community Relations Manager of HITEC Construction Company, Mr David Omaghomi, said the initiative aligned with the contractor's community engagement strategy aimed at ensuring sustainable infrastructure delivery.

Omaghomi said the security arrangement was designed to strengthen intelligence gathering and surveillance rather than create an armed enforcement outfit.

"Our responsibility is to provide information, monitor activities and quickly alert the police whenever vandalism occurs.

"We are the eyes and ears of the security architecture because we are closest to the communities," he said.

He noted that investigations had shown that most of the vandalism was perpetrated by outsiders rather than host communities, urging residents to protect their reputation by exposing criminals.

Omaghomi added that community representatives involved in the initiative could be replaced if found wanting.

Speaking on behalf of the recruits, the Assistant Team Lead of the Coastal Highway Security Guards, Mr Kelvin Okereke, commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works for the initiative.

Okereke assured the ministry and Nigerians that the security guards would protect the highway and its infrastructure from vandalism.

He pledged that the team would remain committed to safeguarding manholes, fencing, road furniture and other public assets along the corridor.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is one of the Federal Government's flagship road infrastructure projects aimed at improving connectivity, trade and economic development across Nigeria's coastal states.

Exactly.

Some of these people have been caught engaging in illegal activities along the Coastal Highway, from stealing construction materials to other acts of sabotage, all because they foolishly believe they are undermining Tinubu's project. Then they trespass onto sections still under construction, take selfies, and make ridiculous claims. Anyone caught sabotaging a public project should face the full weight of the law. Absolute nonsense.

Future tax collectors, Lagos Agbero style

Wastage of public funds. Another avenue to steal public funds. They'll tell you that they spent 100 billion on the 40 youths. Shameless thieves.

40 people to guard that long road. Sha the federal government dey ment. How are they even supposed to do so. How do they intend to divide themselves through that distance. Per how many individuals?
I only see madness in all of this. Kidnappers should not just kidnapped these people oo

Work don set..

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Employment galore.

Wasting of tax payers money

tinubu government is a circus 🎪 aswearugud

They will be known as

THE GUARDIANS OF THE COASTAL HIGHWAYS

Nigerians can be bad citizens sha. How much infrastructure do we have that we need to guard with humans.
Later, someone will come and say it's government fault. It's easy to blame others, but not ourselves.

These are area boys.

They’ll harass and extort people at will saying they’re working for the government.

We have many of such littering Lagos.

Hope they'd carry gun. Otherwise, they'll fall prey to criminal elements in that axis. Highway patrol police would have been better as we once had in Nigeria. This just reminded of Nigeria's better past

40 people to guard a 700km road? That's about 20km per person. They are even to use okada to chase criminals

I hope those poor souls are from their zone bees sha
It might evn be audio sef
Another looting avenue

Tenses:
tinubu government is a circus 🎪 aswearugud

bro eh..its just crazy..this country eh

Kukutente23:
40 people to guard a 700km road? That's about 20km per person

I hope those poor souls are from their zone bees sha
It might evn be audio sef
Another looting avenue

na looting bro..this government need to be voted out

The wailings of data boiz has reached the faaake certttifficcate hollldderr

Now they can work. The only 18km of the highway to fraud . 40 data boiz to survey 18km of coastal fraud.

This one too will be in their list of achievements, youth empowerment indeed

Same thing that came to my mind.

Know I get what the future will look like please note if they turn out to be something else after this administration.
Don't be surprised

givedemwotowoto:
Future tax collectors lol

40 youths to patrol how many kilometres?

You also need 100 CCTVs too at various intervals etc. there's a very long way to go.





.

Good idea before trade by batter people steal the iron

Dogalmighty17:
40 youths to patrol how many kilometres?

700 kilometer road span.

How can 1 person scan 17.5km to and fro in a day to monitor road users?

How were they selected?

Is this project realistic or another means to...you know what I mean.

I think they should have granted the newly trained security guards of that coastal roads the rights to shoot at sight, anyone caught or sited stealing those manholes and also destroying the roads intentionally should be shot at sight straight away......You will be surprised that it's still migrants from other states in Nigeria that are doing these havoc.....

Richtaiwo:
Exactly.

Some of these people have been caught engaging in illegal activities along the Coastal Highway, from stealing construction materials to other acts of sabotage, all because they foolishly believe they are undermining Tinubu's project. Then they trespass onto sections still under construction, take selfies, and make ridiculous claims. Anyone caught sabotaging a public project should face the full weight of the law. Absolute nonsense.

40 abi 4000? I hope they're paid minimum wage.

This is a sign of a failing state - when you start seeing government incrementally lose control of internal happenings and need non-state actors like Tompolo to guard pipelines and youth to guard road and vigilante to be imbedded into the military.

givedemwotowoto:
Future tax collectors, Lagos Agbero style

Is there no agberi in Anambra?

I don't even want to see how much was budgeted for this and I am very sure they'll kpai them once they're done with them

When cluelessness marries imbecility...

Kukutente23:
40 people to guard a 700km road? That's about 20km per person. They are even to use okada to chase criminals

I hope those poor souls are from their zone bees sha
It might evn be audio sef
Another looting avenue

Revised your calculation, please. It is twenty at a time as they will work in shifts.

The youths, who were trained by the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos on Tuesday, will work in shifts, with 20 on daytime patrol and 20 on night duty.

The first sensible comment read so far. OLAIDE, how would a country develop when her infrastructure are always stolen or damage by the same citizens. They complain of power, but the same bad citizens would still go and vandalize transformers, steal cables etc....if an infrastructure cost 1 million USD to build in Ghana, that same infrastructure would take 3 million USD to build in Nigeria because before building, political and government bribes must have been added, then after building, the security of the building must also be considered before handing over to the government by the contractor.....The citizens and the leadership are just despicable people.....

Olaide1295:
Nigerians can be bad citizens sha. How much infrastructure do we have that we need to guard with humans.
Later, someone will come and say it's government fault. It's easy to blame others, but not ourselves.

Patrol with Gun or catapult