FG Bans Okada, Tricycles on Lagos-Calabar Highway, Imposes Strict Truck Parking Restrictions

The Federal Ministry of Works has imposed a sweeping ban on commercial motorcycles (okada) and tricycles (keke Marwa) along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, with the restriction taking immediate effect this week. The directive, announced on Sunday by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr. Olufemi Dare, forms part of a broader traffic management and infrastructure protection strategy aimed at safeguarding the newly constructed multi-billion-naira highway from misuse and premature deterioration.

Beyond the exclusion of two- and three-wheeled commercial vehicles, the ministry has also launched a crackdown on indiscriminate parking by trucks and articulated vehicles along the coastal corridor. Dare clarified that the restriction extends beyond the expressway to include all bridges within Lagos State, with a firm warning that unauthorized parking will no longer be tolerated. In a related move, the ministry has prohibited the indiscriminate disposal of refuse along highway corridors, describing the practice as detrimental to both road infrastructure and environmental sanitation.

Dare confirmed that enforcement of the new directives will commence immediately, with task force officials deployed at strategic points along the highway to ensure strict compliance. Road signs highlighting the restrictions have already been installed to notify motorists and other road users of the updated regulations. He urged motorists, transport operators, and the general public to comply with the directives, stressing that preserving the highway would extend its lifespan and maximize the value of the government’s investment, adding that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is a world-class infrastructure that requires proper maintenance and protection.

The restrictions coincide with the Federal Government’s accelerated pace of work on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, one of its flagship transport infrastructure projects. In December 2025, the Presidency announced that Nigeria had secured approximately $1.2 billion in financing from the United Arab Emirates to support the construction of a critical 56-kilometre segment of the highway, a funding boost expected to accelerate delivery of the 700-kilometre route that will connect major commercial hubs from Lagos to Calabar along Nigeria’s Atlantic coastline.

Previously, in September 2025, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed that the Federal Government had awarded contracts worth over N3 trillion for multiple sections spanning Lagos, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States, with Section I beginning in Lagos awarded at N1.068 trillion and 30 percent of the contract sum already paid, while Section II, which traverses swampy terrain and includes several flyovers linking to the Dangote Refinery corridor, was procured at N1.6 trillion.