Infrastructure as Security: The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and Nigeria’s Fight Against Insecurity

Infrastructure as Security: The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and Nigeria’s Fight Against Insecurity



By Olanrewaju Ebunoluwa James

It is no longer news that Nigeria faces a persistent insecurity crisis. From insurgency in the North-East to kidnapping and banditry in the South and Middle Belt, the country has become a case study in how fragile economies create fertile ground for violence.

While many look to the military for solutions, I believe one key to solving insecurity lies in a place we often overlook: the economy. More precisely, infrastructure that drives economic activity—like the newly launched Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway—has the potential to reshape the narrative.

Why Insecurity Persists: An Economic Lens

There’s a popular saying: “An idle hand is the devil’s workshop.” But this is more than just a cliché. History, economic data, and current realities all show that where the economy is broken, crime thrives. A jobless youth, with no access to opportunity or hope for a better future, becomes easy prey for crime syndicates, pirates, and insurgents.

Therefore, tackling insecurity without addressing unemployment, inequality, and economic disconnection is like pouring water into a basket.

How the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road Fits In

The Lagos-Calabar road project—stretching over 700km and connecting multiple states across the southern corridor—may be controversial in some quarters, but it carries transformational potential for both the economy and security of Nigeria.

Here’s how:

1. Opens Up Commerce and Trade

Linking major coastal cities boosts regional trade, enabling producers, traders, and entrepreneurs to access new markets faster and more efficiently.

2. Drives Job Creation

Construction alone generates thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Beyond that, the corridor will encourage new businesses to spring up—restaurants, logistics hubs, hotels, tourism centers, and more.

3. Empowers Local Entrepreneurs

With better access to transportation and markets, local ideas can blossom into scalable businesses. Young people in coastal communities can now dream beyond fishing or migration.

4. Enhances Security Presence

Hard-to-reach areas—once safe havens for kidnappers and pirates—will become accessible to law enforcement. The visibility of state power alone acts as a deterrent.

 Roads as Tools of Peace

When people have jobs, food, and a sense of purpose, they are far less likely to pick up arms. When businesses thrive and the state shows up with roads, electricity, and education, communities begin to trust again. Infrastructure becomes not just a development tool, but a peacebuilding tool.

It is therefore not far-fetched to say: every kilometer of that road is a step away from violence and a step toward peace.

But Let’s Not Be Naïve

This project cannot work in isolation. To truly reduce insecurity, it must be accompanied by:

  • Transparent governance (to prevent elite capture)
  • Environmental sensitivity (to protect local livelihoods)
  • Local inclusion (to avoid displacement and resentment)
  • Ongoing security reform (to complement physical access with actual protection)

Final Thought

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is more than concrete and asphalt—it is an idea, a possibility. A possibility that Nigeria can build its way out of fear, not just by chasing criminals but by creating an environment where crime has no reason to exist.

If we focus only on firepower and ignore the economic roots of insecurity, we will remain in a cycle of violence. But if we build strategically—roads, schools, hope—then we give ourselves a fighting chance at peace.


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