Lagos to Umuahia: Getting There From Here!

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Nigeria’s economic center of gravity has shifted decisively from the South-East to the South-West in recent decades, with Lagos and its environs now accounting for only about one-fifth of national GDP. The concentration of economic activity in this region gives rise to a raft of logistical challenges, notably making trade and movement of goods between Lagos and other parts of the country more difficult than it ought to be. Yet it also creates opportunities; especially if one can find ways to overcome obstacles and connect the dots between regional hubs like Lagos, Ibadan, and Calabar on one hand, and other key secondary markets in the North East, North West, and North Central zones on the other hand. Hence numerous initiatives have been launched over the past few years – some already bearing fruit – with a view to easing transport challenges in this part of Nigeria.

The Road to Umuahia

The road to Umuahia – in fact the entire journey from Lagos to Umuahia – is a tale of two highways, both of which were built during the Colonial era. The first is the East-West road connecting Lagos and Ibadan via Oji River, Ijebu Ode, Ilesa, Oko, and Ile Ife. This road was initially built by the British in the early 20th century. The second is the North-South road connecting Lagos with Calabar via Ibadan, Iwo, and Oron in the Niger Delta. This road was also built by the British, albeit at a later date, in the 1940s. The East-West route was the main transportation axis in Nigeria until the construction of the North-South highway in the 1940s that reduced the importance of the former. Today, the East-West route is still the main economic route to and from the South-South and South-East due to the fact that it has been the major axis of commerce in Ibadan and Oyo State for the past 100 years. The North-South route, on the other hand, is the axis for transportation to and from the Niger Delta and the South-South, especially for the export of crude oil due to its proximity to the oil terminals at Warri and Bonny.

Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (LIE)

The LIE is a tolled expressway that links the South-West to the National Logistics Corridor (NLC), the country’s main transport route that links Lagos to the Northeast and the Northern border via Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Okoh in Edo State. The LIE is a dual-carriage toll road with a designed capacity of 80,000 vehicles daily. It has eight lanes between Ijora and Orita, six lanes between Orita and Oworopoko, and four lanes between Oworopoko and Ijora. The expressway has interchanges at Orita, Ikorodu, Oshodi, and Ijora. The LIE is a toll road that can be travelled in about three hours (at an average speed of about 100 kilometres per hour). The LIE is strategically located in the center of the South-West and is the best approach to drive from Lagos to Ibadan and beyond to the South-East and South-South. The distance from Lagos to Ibadan via the LIE is approximately 120 kilometres. The LIE has significant impact on the cargo-related traffic in the South-West and South-East due to its strategic location in the middle of these regions. The LIE is being used by the trucking companies to haul cargoes from the South-East and the South-South to Lagos and other parts of the country.

Ibadan-Oru/Orua-Umuahia Bypass

The Ibadan-Oru/Orua-Umuahia Bypass is a dual carriageway designed to ease congestion along the busy Ibadan-Oru-Umuahia road. The bypass is expected to be completed in five years at an estimated cost of 80 billion Naira ($300 million U.S. dollars). The new bypass is expected to reduce the travel time between Ibadan and Umuahia from the current two hours to thirty minutes. The project will also improve the road condition between Ibadan and Umuahia by reducing the heavy volume of traffic that pass through the two towns. The project was conceived by the Federal Government in the 1990s but implementation was stalled due to funding constraints. The project was finally revived in November 2017 when the Federal Government of Nigeria awarded the contract for the construction of the Ibadan-Oru-Umuahia Bypass to the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).

Proposal for a Shorter Route via Egbeda and Orua

The idea of bypassing Umuahia through a shorter route via Egbeda and Orua was conceived in the early 1990s. The proposed Egbeda-Oru-Umuahia bypass would cost an estimated $1.5 billion to build and would ease the congestion on the Ibadan-Oru-Umuahia road. It would also improve the road condition between Ibadan and Umuahia by reducing the heavy volume of traffic that pass through the two towns. The Egbeda-Orua bypass would be shorter and more efficient than the Ibadan-Oru-Umuahia bypass. It would reduce the travel time between Ibadan and Umuahia from the current two hours to about twenty minutes. The proposed route for the Egbeda-Orua bypass is about 193 kilometres compared to the Ibadan-Oru-Umuahia bypass which is about 245 kilometres. The Egbeda-Orua bypass would be constructed along the existing Ibadan-Ogbomoso road. It would link Orua in the Oyo State and Egbeda, a community in the Osun State. The construction of the Egbeda-Orua bypass would help decongest the Ibadan-Oru-Umuahia road and also improve the road condition between Ibadan and Umuahia by reducing the heavy traffic volume along the two towns.

Lagos-Calabar highway

The proposed Lagos-Calabar highway is a proposed 4-lane road that would connect the National Highway in the South-West with the East-West corridor at Akwa-Akpa in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital. The proposed highway would reduce the distance between the two cities from 1,200 kilometres to 700 kilometres. The proposed Lagos-Calabar highway is expected to reduce the travel time between Calabar and Lagos from the current 8 hours to 3 hours. The proposed highway would be constructed parallel to the existing National Highway. The construction of the proposed highway would ease traffic congestion along the existing National Highway and also improve the road condition between Lagos and Calabar by reducing the heavy traffic volume along the two cities.

Shagamu-Umuahia road construction project

The Shagamu-Umuahia road construction project is a Federal Government of Nigeria-funded project that would link Umuahia to the Umuahia-Ibadan road. The project is expected to reduce the distance between Umuahia and Ibadan from the current 90 kilometres to approximately 40 kilometres. The Umuahia-Ibadan road links the North-East and South-West zones. The construction of the Shagamu-Umuahia road would ease traffic congestion along the Umuahia-Ibadan road and also improve the road condition between Umuahia and Ibadan by reducing the heavy traffic volume along the two towns. The construction of the Shagamu-Umuahia road is expected to cost an estimated $800 million U.S. dollars. The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the project and a contractor has been engaged to execute the project. The project is expected to be completed in 2 years.

Conclusion

The Lagos-Ibadan-Calabar axis, the main transportation axis in Nigeria, has seen a furious pace of development in recent years, with a string of mega-projects both completed and under construction. These include the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, I