In 2015, the Governor of Nigeria’s Cross River State announced plans for the construction of a six-lane 260-kilometer-long superhighway, which would traverse Cross River State from north to south, terminating at a planned new seaport near the city of Calabar and its free trade zone. The proposal for the highway also included a right-of-way that extended for ten kilometers on either side, covering approximately 5,200 square kilometers, or about a quarter of the area of the entire state. The proposed route of the highway, including its unprecedented right-of-way, threatened the existence of 180 traditional communities, whose land rights were unilaterally revoked by the Cross River State government in January 2016, as part of the preparations for building the highway. The highway also would cut through five globally important protected areas (Cross River National Park, Ukpon River Forest Reserve, Cross River South Forest Reserve, the Afi River Forest Reserve and the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary). These national and state parks and reserves constitute the last remaining habitat patches for critically endangered Cross River gorillas, Preuss’s red colobus monkey, and slender-snouted crocodiles, as well important refuges for endangered chimpanzees, drills, pangolins and grey parrots, as well as vulnerable species like forest elephants. For WCS and for the critically endangered wildlife of the Cross River landscape the Ekuri people have been vital allies for conservation, because in vocally and physically defending their livelihoods and their cultural identity, they are the essential local voices advocating for protecting the ecological intactness of their forest. Interestingly, the Ekuri initially supported the idea of the highway, because they were told it would provide opportunities to improve their wellbeing by offering durable employment for their children and better access to urban markets, and health and education services. However, when they learned that the plans for the highway included the wholesale clearing of the forest, and the displacement of the people who lived there for the benefit of powerful political and corporate interests, they became leaders of what was to become a growing powerful grassroots opposition to the proposed highway. To their great credit, Nigerian authorities responded positively to the combination of international concern and grassroots pressure. Following the federal government’s refusal to approve a flawed draft EIA, the state government announced in February 2017 that it would reduce the right-of-way from 10 kilometers on either side of the road to 100 meters, which is the standard right-of-way under Nigerian law. This would reduce the risk of displacing local people, as well as the opportunity for land speculation. In March, it announced it would also re-route the highway to avoid important protected areas and community lands. This coalition has shown that a combination of courageous local community action with the support of international civil society can influence government driven infrastructure develop. Together we encourage governments and their financial backers to promote infrastructure develop that: a) complies with international protocols such as IFC Performance Standards 1-8, and b) mandates the transparent and publically accountable implementation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments and Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) for all infrastructure projects.