Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, has demanded full disclosure of the contractual and financial details of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, asking President Bola Tinubu to clarify reports that the Federal Government may seek a loan of up to $20 billion to meet obligations associated with the project.
Atiku also called on the National Assembly to investigate allegations that lawmakers were being pressured to approve the proposed borrowing, warning against saddling Nigerians with additional debt without adequate disclosure of the project's costs and existing financial commitments.
His position was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council.
The former vice president said reported changes to sections of the highway's route had raised questions about the original contract, the cost implications of the revised design and the justification for any additional borrowing.
He argued that the Federal Government should explain the changes and disclose how they would affect the project's scope, expenditure and outstanding payments.
“Tinubu sold Nigerians a coastal highway. Now his Minister says parts of it will follow an existing road inland. That is not a minor adjustment to a drawing. It strikes at the promise used to sell this enormous project. When the route changes, the price must be opened. When the work changes, the payments must be explained,” he said.
Atiku urged the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to publish the original engineering studies and revised designs for the highway. He also questioned whether the necessary assessments of the terrain, bridges and flood risks had been adequately undertaken before the contract was awarded.
He called for a detailed breakdown of the work removed from the original contract, the payments already made to the contractor and the revised overall cost following the reported changes.
“You cannot change the work and refuse to change the bill,” he said.
The former vice president further asked Tinubu to clarify whether the Federal Government intended to seek a loan of up to $20 billion from the National Assembly and whether the proposed facility would be used, in part, to settle outstanding obligations to Hitech Construction Company, the contractor handling the project.
Atiku insisted that any borrowing proposal linked to the highway should be made public alongside details of the contractual obligations it was intended to finance.
“Do not hide a contractor’s bill inside a national borrowing request. Publish the proposed loan, the contract it would finance and the record of what has already been paid. If no such request exists, say so plainly and on the record,” he stated.
He also alleged that some members of the National Assembly had been threatened with the withholding of funds for their election campaigns if they failed to approve the anticipated loan request.
Atiku called on the leadership of the legislature to investigate the allegation and ensure that lawmakers had access to the relevant financial and contractual documents before considering any additional borrowing.
“We are informed that some lawmakers have been warned that funds for their election campaigns will be withheld unless they pass this request with the speed of light. Who is making that threat? Whose money is being promised or withheld? And why should any legislator’s campaign depend on voting to put Nigerians in debt?” he asked.
To promote transparency, Atiku urged the Federal Government to release the highway's original feasibility and environmental studies, route maps, Bills of Quantities, contract variations, Bureau of Public Procurement approvals, payment certificates and any borrowing proposals connected to the project.
He also advocated a public hearing at the National Assembly before any request for additional financing was considered.
Atiku linked the controversy to what he described as a pattern of policy inconsistency under the Tinubu administration, arguing that changes to major infrastructure projects without a comprehensive public accounting could increase the financial burden on citizens already struggling with the rising cost of living.
“This is the policy inconsistency that has defined Tinubu’s government and made an already severe cost of living crisis harder for Nigerians to bear. Announce a plan. Change it without a full accounting. Then present the public with a bigger bill,” he said.
He maintained that the government must explain the reasons for the reported route changes, account for payments already made and provide a clear justification for any additional financing before seeking further public debt.
The dispute adds to the political scrutiny surrounding the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, a major infrastructure project that has attracted debate over its route, cost, contract management and funding arrangements.
The claims that the Federal Government plans to borrow up to $20 billion for obligations linked to the highway, as well as the allegation that lawmakers have been pressured to approve the borrowing, were made by Atiku. The allegations were not independently verified in the statement.
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