By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A Facebook post by social media user Austine Ejeke has ignited widespread conversation after appearing to mock President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the commissioning of a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Ejeke posted a photo showing President Tinubu cutting a ceremonial ribbon over what appears to be a short strip of asphalt laid incongruously in the middle of a dirt road. He captioned it sarcastically: “LAGOS–CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY!!”
The post, which has since gone viral, drew sharp reactions online, with many interpreting it as a pointed critique of the slow pace and underwhelming visual progress of the highly publicized infrastructure project.
A Symbolic Start?
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, designed to span approximately 750 kilometres, is one of the current administration’s flagship infrastructure projects, intended to connect Lagos in the South-West to Calabar in the South-South. The project promises to unlock economic potential across sectors such as logistics, trade, and tourism.
However, reports indicate that only 30 kilometres of the road have so far been completed — a point that critics were quick to highlight as evidence of underperformance.
In the comments under Ejeke’s post, users expressed a mixture of amusement, disappointment, and frustration, with some describing the image as a “perfect metaphor for Nigeria’s infrastructural promises” and others questioning the optics of celebrating what appears to be minimal progress.
Mounting Skepticism
While government officials maintain that the highway will be executed in phases and that the groundwork is progressing, public confidence appears to be waning — particularly on social media where symbolic events are often scrutinized for substance.
Critics have also raised concerns about the displacement of residents along the planned route, the opacity of funding mechanisms, and the overall timeline for project delivery.
Public Perception in the Spotlight
The viral nature of Ejeke’s post underscores a larger issue: how symbolic political gestures are increasingly being assessed against real-world outcomes. With the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway positioned as a transformative project, the expectation is not just for ceremony, but for visible and tangible development.
As public discourse continues, the presidency has yet to officially respond to the viral post or the criticisms it has amplified.