Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticised Minister of Works, David Umahi, over his handling of questions concerning the cost of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, accusing him of avoiding transparency.
Speaking in a viral video on Friday, Makinde faulted Umahi’s refusal to provide a clear breakdown of the project’s cost per kilometre when asked during a recent television interview, saying Nigerians deserve straightforward answers.
“They asked a minister how much the coastal road is, and then you are dancing around, saying the next kilometre is different from the next kilometre. Then what is the average cost?” Makinde asked.
His comments followed a fiery exchange earlier in the week between Umahi and Arise News presenter, Rufai Oseni, who had pressed the minister to state the per-kilometre cost of the coastal highway.
The question drew an angry response from Umahi, who described it as “elementary,” insisting that road costs differ depending on location and that the issue was too technical for the journalist to grasp.
“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field,” Umahi had said.
Defending Oseni, Makinde argued that asking for an average figure was reasonable, noting that similar transparency applied in his own administration’s projects.
“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road, it cost about ₦9.99 billion for roughly 35 kilometres — that’s about ₦238 million per kilometre. The Iseyin to Ogbomoso road, 76 kilometres, cost ₦43 billion, about ₦500 million per kilometre, including two bridges,” Makinde stated.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700-kilometre dual carriageway spanning nine states, was awarded to Hitech Construction Company Limited. The first phase, 47.47 kilometres, is being built on a concrete pavement.
Announcing the project last year, Umahi said contractors were expected to deliver on time, warning against delays or cost variations once mobilisation funds were released.
Makinde’s remarks have reignited public debate over the project’s cost, transparency, and procurement process, one of the largest infrastructure undertakings under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Leave a Reply