David Umahi to reveal cost of Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project

Providing transparency on the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced that the total cost and breakdown will be disclosed to the public on Friday, as stated in a release by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Orji Uchenna, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Umahi emphasized the ministry’s commitment to delivering road projects with prudence, cost-effectiveness, and quality amidst challenges like commodity price inflation and supply chain disruptions affecting construction material costs.

Recent controversies surrounding the costs and bidding process of the 700km coastal highway project prompted the response from Umahi. This came after the People’s Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, raised concerns about the contract awarded to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech without competitive bidding by the Tinubu administration.

Questioning the release of N1.06tn for the project’s pilot phase, Atiku demanded full disclosure of the project’s expenses from Eko Atlantic to Lekki Deep Sea Port.

However, President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, urged Atiku to verify facts about the project before making statements.

Umahi slammed Atiku’s analysis of the project figures during an inspection of the Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway rehabilitation. He criticized the misrepresentation of facts to mislead the public and assured to provide detailed figures during a press conference in Lagos scheduled from April 10 to April 12, 2024.

Highlighting the economic significance of the coastal highway, Umahi stressed its role in connecting regions beyond the South-South and South-West, linking the North and South with future projections towards Sokoto and Calabar.

Umahi concluded by applauding the progress on various projects visited and emphasized the importance of adhering to project timelines for contractors. He urged expedited work on the East-West Road Section III and threatened reassigning portions of the project if speed does not improve.

The statement also mentioned Umahi’s inspection of other projects including a flyover at Eke-Obinagu Junction, Enugu Abakaliki Road, Enugu State, the collapsed bridge site at New Artisan Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway Section 3, Enugu-Lokpanta, Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway section 2 in Abia State, and the 15km section of the East-West road section III in Rivers State.