Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has criticized Dave Umahi on the cost of the contentious Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project approved by President Bola Tinubu, calling for transparency in its pricing
Speaking at an event in a video that went viral on Friday, Makinde criticized the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for “dancing around the cost” of the project. His remarks came after a heated exchange earlier in the week between Umahi and Arise TV anchor Rufai Oseni.
During a live interview on Tuesday, Oseni asked Umahi to break down the project’s cost per kilometre. The minister, however, resisted, insisting that the varying costs across different stretches made such calculations too complex. He described himself as a “professor” in engineering and told Oseni: “Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”
Oseni stood his ground, replying, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”
Makinde later defended the journalist’s line of questioning, stressing the need for clarity. “They asked a minister how much the coastal road is, and then you are dancing around,” he said. “When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road, about 34–35 kilometres, it cost almost N10 billion—about N238 million per kilometre. For Iseyin to Ogbomoso, 76 kilometres cost about N43 billion, averaging around N500 million per kilometre, including two bridges over the Ogun River and at Ogbomoso.”
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, a 700-kilometre road spanning nine states with two spurs to northern states, was officially flagged off last year by the Federal Government. Umahi announced the handover of the first phase—47.47 kilometres of dual carriageway to Hitech Construction Company Limited—which is to be built with concrete pavement.
Umahi, accompanied by the Federal Ministry of Works’ Lagos State Controller, Mrs. O. I. Kesha, stressed that all contractors must deliver projects on schedule, warning that variations caused by delays would not be tolerated once mobilization is completed.
This development underscores the ongoing debate over transparency and cost accountability in Nigeria’s large-scale infrastructure projects.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Umahi is getting called out everywhere
Gbam